Aurora Lovegood's Story
by intothevalley
Summary: Aurora Lovegood attends her first year at Hogwarts... with none other than Albus Severus Potter, Remus Lupin jr and Rose Weasly. They become fast friends. However,someones rising to power, and Aurora isn't who she thinks she is. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. The Craziness Is Mine

**Hello there, this is my first ever fanfic (!) and I am so excited.**

**Please enjoy, and if you have a spare minute, I will literally appreciate it forever if you Review (please avoid bad reviews, however constructive criticism is appreciated)**

**I'm still in the process of learning, so please be kind, and I hope you enjoy.**

**Oh, and this is just the first chapter, I have a lot more planned.**

**Also, just a little note/warning, I have changed a few of the characters, so they may not have every single detail correct, and also, some characters who may have passed away in the books are alive in this (such as Snape and Tonks, because they are some of my favourite characters)**

I closed my eyes, imagining the grand towering walls of Hogwarts, which my parents, former students, had told me about so often. I picture the Gryffindor common room, and my heart ached. I would be attending my first year at Hogwarts in 2 weeks, but what if I wasn't put in Gryffindor? I wouldn't be able to stand the embarrassment of being put in Slytherin. My parents had reassured me that their love for me would never change, and while I believe them, I couldn't help the butterflies that crept into my stomach, unavoidable and annoying. I looked around my bedroom, admiring the leaning bookcases, filled to the brim with stories that both my mother and grandfather had written. Growing up in a magical word had been nothing but amazing. I had asked my parents many times to recount their days in the schools walls, regretting the fact that I would never be able to, like them, go to a school with Albus Dumbledore as the headmaster, or have harry potter, ron Weasly and Hermione granger in my class. Still, I crossed the days off the calendar, longing to be able to write my own memories on such hallowed grounds.

One person, who I did not regret having never met, was Voldemort. My parents were a bit more reluctant when it came to telling me these stories, for they were worried it would frighten me, although however much the cold red eyes haunted my dreams, I still longed to hear of my parents bravery, the room of requirement, anything and everything to do with Hogwarts and The War. My suitcase was already packed, waiting by the door of my room. I was too excited, my parents joked, claiming that once I got there, and they gave me the homework, I wouldn't be jumping for joy. Yet, I could still see the twinkle in their eyes, even as they recounted the bad things to do with Hogwarts, and had come to realise that they missed it. My father, known to most as Neville Longbottom, worked at the ministry, even though he had been offered a teaching job. His reason for turning it down was that he didn't want to teach at a school that I was learning at, for fear that I would be teased. To be honest, I didn't mind either way. Friends would be a bonus at Hogwarts, but if not, I planned to spend every free minute reading or writing about the days happenings.

"dinner" my mother called up, and I prepared myself for the surprise that awaited. My father was the cook of this household, but occasionally my mother, Luna Lovegood, famed writer, dared to master the kitchen. She came up with the oddest concoctions, including Bertie Botts every flavour bean pie, chocolate frog sandwich, Sagnora soup, a weird combination of herbs all mixed together to make a strange chunky soup. I came hurrying down the stairs to see my father at the table, while my mother served some sort of pigmy plant casserole. I looked at her long, golden hair, something that I fortunately had in common with her. Her violet eyes were bright, excited, waiting to see the verdict. I had gotten my mother's looks, and my father's clumsiness. I had the same long, blonde hair, white as an orchid in summer and instead of violet, I had pale blue eyes. My skin was fair, yet generally covered with bruises from my infamous falls. Like my father, I had two left feet, and I could trip over anything and everything.

I settled myself down into the odd looking chair, and picked up my fork. My house was a strange mix of things picked up at auctions, and was filled with bright, colourful objects. Nothing was ordinary, and I couldn't have loved it more. There were 5 topsy turvey stories. My parents room was on the second level, mine on the third, my mother's study where she writes was on the fourth and the attic, which only the bravest entered, was on the top. The dining room/living room and kitchen was on the ground floor, and had a front and a back door which lead out into rolling hills. It was gorgeous, and I adored it. My father generally used floo powder to get to work, and I spent my days either studying my school books (which I had gotten as soon as magically possible) or riding my broom, free from the prying eyes of muggles. Our nights were usually spent by the fire, laughing, telling stories and singing songs. I would miss my family with all my heart when I went away to school, but I knew deep down it was worth it. To be able to protect my endearing and slightly crazy mother, and silly and loving father, I would have to be taught by the best, and that meant going to Hogwarts. My mother had told me that there was a rumour going around that Hermione Granger would be teaching this year, and I could barely wait to see if it was true.

I swallowed, and smiled, slightly surprised by the fact that it tasted half decent. My mother, seeing this, clapped her hands and kissed my father on the lips, when he too nodded and smiled. The way my parents looked at each other was slightly sickening, but in a sweet way.

"Come on aurora, off to bed, if I'm not mistaken, tomorrow is the quidditch world cup" my father pulled out two tickets from his coat pockets when I had finished my dinner. We had been waiting for weeks to see if he could get tickets, and grinning like a giant, I hugged my father. There were only two tickets, because my mother wasn't all a big fan of quidditch games, preferring to watch from the comfort of her own home. It was more of a dad and I thing.

"Best seats in the house" he exclaimed around my hug, and while I knew this couldn't possibly be true, because the best seats in the house would be actually playing, I hugged him even tighter. I had been going to quidditch games with my father since I could remember, and while he may not have been much of a player, I couldn't wait to try out for the school team. My parents warned me not to get my hopes up, because it is very unusual for first years to get a spot on the team, but nevertheless, they still brought me a brilliant broom for my birthday so I could practice. One of the main reasons I loved quidditch so much was that it didn't involve walking, so I didn't have to worry about tripping over. Which is completely irrational, and ironic, considering if you fall off your broom it's going to hurt a lot more than just tripping over, but I had been practicing for so long and hard, that it had been years since I had fallen off my broom. I love the way my parents smile proudly at me when I fly for hours on end, and don't fall off.

"Oh dad, it is going to be brilliant, I know it" I hugged him some more

"I know ash, I know, I'm betting on the Bulgarians" my father claimed, ash referring to middle name Ashlen. It was my nickname, sort of.

"oh puh-lease, the Chudley Cannons are going to make the Bulgarians look like garden gnomes" before he could reply, I kissed both him and my mother on the cheek, told them goodnight, and raced up to my room, taking every second step, which had taken me years to master. All of our steps were different shapes, sizes, colours, even textures. Some played music when you stepped on them, some shook, it was all a bunch of craziness, but the craziness was mine. And I loved it. After brushing my teeth and laying out my clothes for tomorrow (all bright orange, which was a strange combination with my hair) I slipped into my bed, turned off the light, and dreamt of holding the quidditch world cup, my parents proudly beside me. However, just like with most of my dreams, bright red eyes were there, always watching, waiting, for what though I did not know.


	2. Quidditch World Cup

I bounced up and down in my seat. My father had been right, the seats we had were pretty good, and rather high up, and so we could see all the action. My father stood out amongst the orange in his Bulgarian colours, and I chuckled to myself. He didn't seem to mind however, and he gazed happily about. It seemed to have taken hours to get to sleep last night, and for it to be late enough in the day for us to leave. My mother had waved goodbye, and I, being the one who made sure we had everything, read over my list three times to make sure we had our binoculars, tickets, money for food, and any posters we had from previous years. The roaring of the crowd filled my ears, and I waited in anticipation for the games to begin. Suddenly, a booming voice filled the arena; although to whom it belonged I was uncertain. They changed the intro speakers every match, and so, craning my neck, I tried to get a glimpse of the figure out of which the voice was coming. I was not surprised to see a man with red hair, freckles to match, and a slightly out of date suit. Ron Weasly, mum and dad's old friend and classmate, stood with his wand pointed to his mouth. _This is it_. I thought to myself, anticipation bubbling up inside of me. Unlike me, my father looked surprised to see his old school mate standing there. He obviously didn't check the world wide wizarding web, but that's okay, knowing him, he might have blown up our computer.

"Well if you don't say. Ron Weasly commentating, why, I saw him just the other day at the ministry and he didn't mention anything, the cheeky nargyle." I laughed at my dad's use of words, but turned my attention back to the stadium when I heard Mr. Weasly boom:

"And now, please put your hands together for the Chudley Cannons" he practically had to yell the last part into his wand, for the crowd was going crazy. I too screamed and stamped my feet along with the rest of the fans as the Chudley Cannons team came flying out, circling around, while the crowd on this side of the stadium chanted over and over.

"Cannons, Cannons, win, win" it wasn't very original, but it was good enough. The crowd was pumped and getting louder by the minute, and my heart almost stopped when Chase, the seeker, flew past the area where I was seating, and, I swear, he winked at me! Yes, me! My father was trying pointlessly to drown out the chanting with the Bulgarian theme song, however, no one payed attention to him. All eyes were fixed on the wall where the Bulgarians emerged from seconds later, with the other side of the arena starting their chant. My dad stood up and started screaming like a girl, but I didn't mind whatsoever. I thought of how sore my throat would be tomorrow, just like it always was after a big match. Mum would make us Cornwell tea, mixed with a secret ingredient, and we'd be better in no time. As the game started, I noticed that someone had taken over Mr. Weasly's spot in the commentating booth. I couldn't spot the red hair among the orange, so I gave up and turned back to the game. The Bulgarians were up by 20, but the match wasn't over yet. It was going to be a close game, I realised happily. At half time, I was surprised to see a figure tap my dad on the shoulder. Turning around, my dad's face was filled with his familiar goofy smile, and I turned around to see no other than Mr. Weasly, with his son, Hugo. Hugo was two years younger than me, and I smiled at him warmly. If I had known him better, I'm sure he could have become like a younger brother to me. Unfortunately, the Weasly's had a lot on their plate, and could only visit around Christmas. However, Rose was my age, and we were good friends, writing letters to each other about the goings on in our lives. Rose was incredibly smart, just like her mother, but I held my own. While I wanted her in my class, a familiar face in the crowd, I would never be able to get top marks. But I didn't really mind, for Rose was much to kind to be mad at, even though she could occasionally be a bit bossy.

"Hello Ron, good to be seeing you" they shook hands, while Hugo half hid behind his father's legs. He was adorable, with a tuft of red hair on his head, just like his father. He had the same features as his dad, apart from his eyes, those were his mothers. Rose, however, had brown hair like her mother, and was the same build and complexion.

"Good to see you too Neville old boy, and you too Aurora, are you excited about going to Hogwarts? I sure know Rose is, they would have loved to be seeing you, but they went to get food and asked me to pass along their apologies." There were grey bits through his bright hair, and he looked slightly weary, like he hadn't had a good night's sleep since the last full moon, not that he was a werewolf or anything.

"I'm not looking my best at the moment, as you can see" he gestured vaguely "afraid poor Hugo hasn't been sleeping well with all the storms" Hugo looked up with big, round eyes at his father, who laughed half-heartedly.

"Oh yes, I can assure you, I am more than excited. It's unfortunate I couldn't say hi to rose, but tell her I can't wait to see her at school, and Mrs. Granger as well, if my sources are correct" I said mischievously. Mr. Weasly smiled.

"With your parents, it's a wonder where you get your sleuthing ability from" he mocked, elbowing my father, who stumbled with surprise. Mr. Weasly, shaking his head with a smile, righted him. "Yes, your sources are correct, Hermione will be teaching charms and spells, if I'm not mistaken, and unfortunately for you, my good friend Tonks will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. If I'm not mistaken, Severus Snape will be teaching you potions, so watch your step." He winked when he said the last part, letting me in on an unknown joke. I smiled back with glee.

"Yay, well, now I'm even more excited" I jumped up and down, ignoring the looks I was getting from passersby. Both the adults laughed at me, and Mr. Weasly, putting his arm around Hugo, smiled at us.

"Well, Hugo and I better be getting back to our seats, we don't want to be missing any of the action, do we?" the little boy shook his head, his father smiling affectionately down at him. However his face turned grave when he spoke to my father.

"I'll speak to you more about the incidents, but at work tomorrow, for we can't discuss them in public. I'm worried Neville, I am" he said in a low, almost muted voice. I could just make it out amongst the cheers. My father nodded gravely back at him.

"I am worried also, but like you said, this mustn't be discussed in public" putting on a cheerier tone, he added "alrighty then, I'll be seeing you soon enough. Goodbye Hugo." Mr. Weasly said his goodbyes, and become lost in a crowd of orange. My curiosity burned within me, and as soon as we sat back down, I turned to my father. I could see the hope in his face that I hadn't heard the exchange vanish when he saw my eager expression.

"What was that about dad?" I asked, making sure to keep my voice low. He looked around wearily.

"Later, not now. You heard what we said, this can't be discussed in public, and frankly, I don't think it's for your ears at all" I was shocked, partly because of my father's tone, and partly because he had never kept anything from me, ever. At least, not that I knew of. I nodded, turning back to the game. I was just in time to see the teams reappear to an even louder crowd, but neither my father nor I cheered. We were both lost in thought, and it was a longer game then usual. Even when the Chudley Cannons won 100 to 99, I still didn't jump around. All of our earlier excitement was gone, and in its place, were secrets. _Don't be so dramatic. _I told myself as I hopped into bed that night. I could hear my parent's low voices as they sat in the kitchen, most likely discussing the very thing I wasn't allowed to know. _It's probably just a law was broken at the ministry, and will be fixed by tomorrow no doubt. _And with this thought, which deep down I knew was a lie, I slipped into the comfort of dreams.


	3. I'm On My Way

This was it. This was the big day. I was going to be on the train to Hogwarts in no later than three hours. _Unbelievable, _I thought to myself. The rest of the holidays had been uneventful, with a dull silence befallen over the house. My mother's smiled was forced, and my dad had been working late, sometimes not coming home until four in the morning. Dinner was eaten in silence, and stories were no longer told by the fire place with a steaming cup of Cloca in each of our hands. When my father was home early, my parents usually talked late in the night and early mornings. It was disturbing, the eerie faked cheerfulness, and I didn't enjoy it one bit. _Still, _I thought reasonably, _there has to be a good reason as to why they are acting the way they are, and why they haven't told me. _I didn't push the matter, and just spent most of my days rereading for the hundredth time my favourite stories from my parent's days at school.

My father hadn't been able to make it today; something had come up with work. My mother was writing less and less these days, preferring to just stare out of the window in silence. All my things were packed up, and my cat, Lullaby, had been resting at the edge of my bed when I had woken up that morning. She had wound her way in between my luggage, and had sat in my lap on the way to Kings Cross Station. We were taking a rental car, so we could drive through the city and see the scenery. Lullaby was a pure white Selkirk Rex, which was an extremely odd name for a bread of cat; I had thought when I saw her tag. The fact that it was such an unusual name and her deep brown eyes had made fall in love with her at once. She had been a birthday present, as a sort of congratulations on getting into Hogwarts I guess. Anyway, now, as I made my way, almost running, towards platform nine and three quarters, she bounded alongside me, earning us disapproving looks from passengers. My mother, catching up with me, nodded encouragingly at the wall between platforms nine and ten. Oh, how many times I had read about this famed platform, this train, and now I would be seeing it for the first time. Not wanting to lose her, like my father had lost his toad many years ago, I picked up Lullaby and held onto her firmly. When I was certain no one was looking, I ran at the wall, closing my eyes at the last minute, and opening them to find a gleaming red train, puffing out smoke. I heard my mother behind me, and, catching my reflection, I saw the 'o' shape my mouth had made. Quickly composing myself, I heard my mother breath. She was pushing along my luggage cart, for I was too wrapped up in my surroundings and would most likely lose it, not that she was much better.

"Oh there she is" I looked over at my mother and saw her happy expression. Snapping out of it, though not entirely, she turned towards me, mother mode activating, or at least, her version of it.

"Okay, so have you got your money for the train?" I nodded absentmindedly, she continued on. "Okay, trunks, cat, money, quills, broom, and books" she ticked the things off her fingers, while I gazed around at the passing students. Short, tall, terrified, excited, blonde hair, brown hair. Every type of person was there. At the thought of brown hair, I caught sight of a familiar family.

"Rose!" I shouted, causing a few people around us to stare. We ran up and hugged each other, our families trailing behind. We hugged when we met, colliding and giggling as we tried to stop ourselves from falling over. Lullaby was squished in between us, and not too happy about it either, I handed her to my mother, who stroked her fur absentmindedly.

"It's so good to see you Aurora, I've missed you. I'm so sorry we didn't see each other at the game" we hugged again.

"No worries, but I do have some gossip to discuss with you," I said, winking. I looked over at our mums, Mr. Weasly, like my father, must have been held up at work. Our mothers hugged, making sure not to squish my cat, who I took back, sharing a look which most likely communicated something about what had been going on. Hugo, like always, was standing behind his mother's legs. I waved at him, and turned back to Rose.

"I'll tell you later, on the train" Rose was my only time spent with normality. We discussed average girl things, and I entered a whole other world when I was with her. Girl world. I was still me, forever scribbling away, but I was a bit different than when I was just with my parents. I was more self conscious around Rose, I guess, but not in a bad way. We giggled at cute boys, and painted each other's nails, (granted, the nail polish usually changed colour with our emotions, or had flying pictures on them, but still, you get my point) that sort of thing, something I would never do if I didn't have Rose. The train hooted, causing us to jump. The mothers looked around, snapped out of their conversation. Mrs. Granger had her own trunks, and, with another few words, the mothers turned to us. My mother would be taking Hugo to his grandparent's house, The Burrow, while things got settled down.

"Okay," Mrs. Granger said, taking control of the situation. "You two go find yourselves a carriage; we can't have you missing the train. I'll be sitting in the teachers carriage, so if you need anything, that's where you'll find me. I better be going, so goodbye all of you" she kissed Rose on the cheek, who hugged her mother in return, and she scooped Hugo into a big hug.

"I'll be home soon, you be good to your grandparents now, won't you?" she asked, kissing his cheeks as he nodded. Standing up and straightening her skirt, she turned to my mother.

"Luna, you'll inform me of any news, won't you?" my mother nodded, and the two women embraced.

"Okay now, off I go" with a smile she was gone. My mother turned to me, tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry mum" I comforted her with a hug "I'll be home before you know it and you won't be able to wait to send me off again, you'll see" she kissed my cheeks, said a heartfelt goodbye, and told me to write whenever I wanted.

"Of course" I replied, and with a final hug, Rose and I set off in the crowd towards the train, carting our luggage. Lullaby was still nestled in my arms, looking for any incoming hugs in which she might be caught. We hopped on the train, and upon finding an empty carriage, we stowed away our luggage and I searched for my mother in a sea of faces. I caught sight of bright red eyes, and shrunk back from the window. Luckily Rose, who was still storing her luggage, failed to notice. Rose had an owl, which was on a perch, sleeping in his cage. Rhombus was his name, and he was a light brown, and extremely calm, the complete opposite of Rose, however she did love him so. Again I searched for my mother, taking care this time to not catch any gleaming eyes, and found my mother tearfully waving her handkerchief at me; I waved back, laughing when my mother accidentally hit someone in the face. Rose had finally settled down, and as the train started to move, I lost sight of my mother. This was it; I was on my way to Hogwarts, at last.


	4. You Must Be A Malfoy

Turning away from the window, I faced Rose, and just as I was about to tell her about all that had happened during the summer, the carriage doors opened. A boy, with a pointed chin, a thin nose, and platinum blond hair, stood there, examining both rose and I.

"Are either of you mudbloods?" he asked, and I was shocked by his attitude. Until I realised something, and then I expected it. His face looked familiar to one I had seen in drawings in my parent's books.

"You must be a Malfoy" I replied dryly, and upon sharing a look with Rose, I realised she too had come to that conclusion. The boy shrugged, and it appeared he was alone.

"So what if I am, and anyway, you didn't answer my question" he sneered, and I instantly felt a strong sense of dislike surge within me.

"Even if we were, what difference does it make?" Rose replied fearlessly. He laughed, quick and sharp.

"It makes all the difference" he drawled, "but I'll take your answer as a no. I'm Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He didn't stretch his hand out for us to shake, he just stood there. "And who might you two be?" hesitantly, I replied

"I'm Aurora Lovegood, and this is Rose Weasly" I gestured to Rose, whose face was guarded. We had both been told much about the malfoy clan, and none of it was all too pleasant.

"Lovegood? Weasly? I've heard about you lot. Hm, perhaps I'd better find somewhere else to sit, I'd rather not be seated with vermin" and he left, thankfully. I didn't take his words to heart, and I don't think Rose did either. We shared a look, and both burst out laughing.

"I'd rather not be seated with vermin" rose mimicked his drawl "well, it must be hard for him to avoid himself" we were both in fits of laughter when there was another knock at the door. Thankfully, I noticed, it wasn't Scorpius. There were two boys, one with dark brown hair swept to the side, dark enough to nearly be black, which was messy and ruffled. He had bright green eyes, and it appeared he knew Rose, and Rose knew him.

"Albus!" Rose jumped up and hugged the boy, who startled, hugged her back. The other boy shifted nervously from foot to foot. Rose, letting Albus go, sat back in her set, and gesturing for them to sit down, smiled at me. Albus sat next to me, while the other tall, slightly lanky boy with tousled light brown hair, which, if I'm not mistaken, turned to blue for a split second, sat next to rose, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Aurora, this is Albus, my cousin, and if I'm not mistaken, this boy next to me is Remus" 'Remus' bowed his head shyly.

"That's Remus alright, smart as a book, sneaky as a panther" the boys shared a smile. Albus turned to me, apparently not all too shy like his friend.

"Give him some time, before long, you'll be missing the days he was quiet. Hey, who are your parents?" he asked, almost as an afterthought, "I think I've heard my parents mentioning an Aurora before" it was easy to become comfortable with the boy, and I felt like I could trust him. I returned his smile.

"Luna lovegood and Neville Longbottom, who are yours?" recognition dawned on his face.

"No way, wicked. My parents were in the same year as yours." He smiled, and I realised he hadn't answered my question. Apparently he realised this too, because he added to his statement

"I'm actually kind of surprised you don't know. Most people hear my name and think they know everything about me. My mother's Ginny potter and my father's Harry Potter" he almost grimaced, as if expecting me to go crazy. But being the ultimate Lovegood, I remained calm.

"Oh cool, my parents have mentioned your parents a couple of times" I said offhandedly. I left out the part where most of the recounts my parents had written centred on his dad. He didn't seem to mind, in fact, it seemed to make him more curious, the way I wasn't going crazy.

"Really" was all he said. Apparently Remus had gotten over his shy spell.

"Hey, I heard that the McGonagall, you know, the headmistress, put a ban on going to Hogsmeade" he leaned forward, eager to share this piece of news.

"Something big is happening; my mum hasn't been the same these summer holidays"

"Neither!" all three of us replied at the same time. Instead of laughing like you usually do when you jinx, we looked seriously at each other.

"What do you think it could be? You don't think he-who-must-not-be-named is behind the panic? Like maybe he's come back from the dead?" Rose whispered, glancing around as if he might appear at any moment. We were all leaning in, so when the Trolley Lady knocked on our door, we jumped a metre in the air, and we had guilty looks on our faces.

"No thanks" rose and I mumbled, while Harry and Remus purchased a few things. When the Trolley Lady was out of ear shot, we all leaned in again, talking more quietly than before.

"I don't think so, but it's something big, I can't feel it" Remus's hair flashed red and startled, I jumped back. Albus, noticing my reason why, smiled.

"Don't worry, Remus is like his mother, a nymph. It's normal for his hair to reflect his emotions" he laughed, kicking Remus in the leg. Remus ran his hand through his hair, ignoring the kick and getting back to business.

"Anyway, all I know is, I think we ought to be careful. The pranks we're going to pull this term might need to be scaled back, or at least kept under control. Thankfully for us, Rose and Albus' uncle Fred and Uncle George didn't get rid of their joke shop. It's handy having you guys, cause pranks aren't cheap." The smile he shared with Albus was mischievous. I hoped we were all in each other's classes, because we were sure to have fun this year, what, with Remus' jokes, (if they were any good, that is, but no doubt Rose will help him, she had learnt a few things from her uncle's) and Albus' daring attitude, which radiated from him. Somehow, I thought to myself, I might not have as much time to read and write as I thought I would, but that's okay, so long as I'm enjoying myself, right? A thought occurred to me.

"You'll never believe who dropped by our carriage earlier" I said in a conspiringly low voice, the boys leaned in again, curious. Rode and I smiled at each other "Scorpius Malfoy, and he came in, asking if we were mudbloods. Can you believe him?" scowls stole over the boys' faces.

"Unfortunately, I can, and if he's anything like his father, then he might just be trouble for us this year." Albus replied. Rose and I went on to tell them about the vermin remark, which made Albus' hands ball into fists. For the rest of the way, until we got changed into our robes in separate boys and girls bathrooms, we talked about our lives, what it was like for Remus living without a father

"It sucks," he had replied, "sometimes, especially when everyone tells me how great he was, but I'm glad I have my mum." We asked Albus what is was like being a middle child

"Sometimes it sucks too. I mean, I'm usually in James' shadow, even though my parents don't pressure me to be like him, and especially after Lilly was first born, they payed quite a bit of attention to her, but other than that, it's pretty good always having someone there to blame." We talked about this and that, sharing stories our parents had told us. Finally though, the train station came into sight, and in the distance, so did Hogwarts. We all pressed our faces up against the window, trying to get a better look. Standing up, Remus was the tallest of us all, the Albus, then Rose by a little more than me. Our breath fogged the cool glass, and a voice rang out among the corridor

"Welcome to Hogwarts"


	5. Welcome To Hogwarts

**Sorry for the short chapter, more are on the way!**

We pulled down our suitcases, with the help of the boys, and piled out onto the cool air and pebble stone path. A giant, hairy man towered above us, and I instantly recognised him from my mother's drawings. Hagrid's voice bellowed out above our heads.

"First years to the boats, first years please follow me" he saw Albus, I presume, for I had never met him, and waded through the crowd, anxious first years following behind him. His hair was mostly grey, and his pink umbrella was a little battered.

"Well 'ello there, if it isn't Albus, o' wait, I'm sorry, I should say Al, shouldn't I? Las' time I didn't, I got yelle' at" 'Al' blushed, and Hagrid chuckled. He turned to Rose, Remus and I.

"oh look, it's Rose, Remus, and I' I'm not mistaken, it's Aurora Lovegood" I was shocked that Hagrid knew my name. Seeing this, he winked.

"I met you 'hen you 'ere very young, so you probably 'on't 'member me" he smiled at me, and I smiled back. I notice he had a pale pink scar across his cheek. He seemed to have snapped out of his memories, and seemed to remember why he was there.

"Alright you lot, off to the boats" and we followed behind. Rosie, Albus, Remus and I were at the front, eager to step foot in Hogwarts famed walls. I pulled my cloak tighter around me as a harsh wind ruffled our hair, and I caught Hagrid mutter beneath his breath.

"Winters coming 'arly this year, just 'ike before" before setting off on the boats. I whispered to the others what I had heard, and we all exchanged glances. It appeared, not all was right with the wizarding community.


	6. How Does Slytherin Sound?

**Hey guys, hope you are enjoying the story so far. **

**I know they're not the longest chapters, but there are plenty to come, trust me.**

**Disclaimer- If you've heard of them, they're not mine. If you haven't, like Aurora, then they are mine. All credit to J.K Rowling, who wrote these amazing books.**

I was here, at last. I stood there, gazing in wonder around me. The looming stone walls were almost familiar and smell was just as my parents had described it.

"An open fire with a bit of home, that's how it smells" I had been confused what this meant at the time, but they were right, that was the smell. Home. A stout woman appeared at the top of the grand staircase and indicated for us to follow her. She stopped when we were right before the grand doors which I was certain would lead into the great hall. My heart beat sped up, and looking around, I caught Rose's, Albus's and Remus's eyes. We smiled at each other, and I was instantly comforted. I had friends here, and I didn't even know what house I was in. That made me realise. What if I wasn't in the same house as the others? What if they were in Gryffindor and I was put in Slytherin, and I was forced to make friends with Scorpius. I caught the sneering boys' eye, and laughing, he whispered something to two burley looking boys beside him. They laughed as well, eyeing me, and I snapped my head back around. Albus had followed my gaze, and scowled when he saw Scorpius laughing.

"Don't worry about them" I whispered, and smiled up at him reassuringly, but I don't think he was paying much attention to my words, for just then, the grand doors slid open, and we started making our way, in two straight lines, down the rows between the seats. Rose and Remus were in front of Albus and I, and Albus nodded at his brother, who was elbowing some boy next to him. I caught the boy's eye, and he smiled. He seemed familiar. Aaron! Of course, I'd forgotten my cousin had attended this school. Growing up, he was like an older brother to me. He had taught me so much about Quidditch, but then when I was nine, he had moved away and we'd lost contact. I grinned back at him and gave him a small wave which he returned. James saluted to his brother and I lazily, with just two fingers, but it wasn't really mocking, I didn't think. He just seemed bored, although I could see a twinkle in his eye.

"Alright, settle down" Headmistress McGonagall silenced the packed hall, and everyone turned their gazes towards her. She seemed agitated and in a hurry.

"I'd like to welcome the new first years; I hope you enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Please, obey the rules, which the prefects will walk you through, and try your very best. I'd love to stay for a while longer, and see the Sorting Hat do its job, but I'm afraid I cannot, for I have a very important meeting to attend to. However, I will say this. All students must not enter the Forbidden Forest without a teacher, for there have been some misunderstandings with the Centaurs, and as some of you may have heard, I have forbidden trips to Hogsmeade for all students" a groaned drowned out her voice,

"Ah hem" she coughed, and all eyes were back on her "as I was saying, trips to Hogsmeade will not be permitted, so please do not try and do anything stupid by sneaking out. These rules are here for your own good. I bid you farewell, and hope you enjoy a very good school year." She nodded to the teachers, and Tonks, I noticed, stood up. She smiled at her son, who blushed with embarrassment.

"Alrighty, with that said, let's get you sorted then, shall we?" her tone was upbeat, but I had a feeling of dread in my stomach. Scorpius was the fifth to go up, and even before the Sorting Hat touched his head, it announced 'Slytherin' Scorpius happily walked over to the Slytherin table, where cheers greeted him. His two thugs were next and met him there. A few more people went up, some in Ravenclaw, some in Hufflepuff, some in Gryffindor and Slytherin. Rose tugged on my sleeve.

"What if I'm in Ravenclaw, without you guys?" she looked scared. I smiled at her, and before I could reply, her name was called out.

"Rose Weasly" Rose turned pale, and she slowly made her way over to the hat.

"Another Weasly, hm, there's been a few of you at this school, hasn't there? Well, you certainly could do well in Ravenclaw, just like your mother could have. Well, why should I be the one to break family tradition, Gryffindor!" Rose visibly relaxed, and she made her way to the Gryffindor table, where cheers and claps on the back greeted her. Rose caught my eye and smiled, smiling back, I turned when I heard Remus's name. When he sat down, I listened intently to what the hat was saying.

"Aaah, I sense brave blood, and perhaps even a trouble maker. Yes, hm, difficult. I think the house that will suit your needs is Gryffindor!" Remus jumped up excitedly and went to join Rose. They both smiled back at us. While Albus and I waited for our names, I looked around, and caught Snape's eye. They were dark and cold and a shiver ran up my spine. Even though I knew he was good, I couldn't help but be frightened of him. He caught my gaze and I quickly turned away, just as Albus' name was called.

"Good luck" I whispered and he smiled back at me. He didn't look nervous at all, although somehow I thought it was fake bravado. Still, I watched as he took his place on the stool.

"Ah! A potter, I do believe we are blessed with one's presence. Oh, I remember sorting your father, even your grandfather, and even his father. Such a brave family line. Oh well, guess it's Gryffindor for you!" Albus jumped up and went to meet his brother, Aaron, Remus, Rose and all the other Gryffindor at the table who greeted him with open smiles. They all gazed at me expectantly. A lump rose in my throat and my palms were clammy as my name got called out. Numb, I made my way to the stool and hat, awaiting my future. I felt the weight on my head, and tried to inhale and exhale evenly as the Sorting Hat began to talk.

"Why, a Lovegood and a Longbottom all mixed into one. How very peculiar. You have the bravery, the brains, yet I feel there is something there, something that would do well in Slytherin." My heart stopped, _no, _I thought to myself, _no Slytherin. _"How does Slytherin sound?" the sorting hat asked, and when I shook my head, it laughed.

"Maybe not then, although I do see potential, however, if you insist." I had been chanting Gryffindor under my breath, hoping to sway its opinion. "Gryffindor!" I let out the breath of air I didn't know I had been holding. My friends all started cheering, whooping and clapping like maniacs. I sat down in between Remus and Rose, opposite Aaron and James, who smiled at me. I got a lot of claps on the back and congratulations. I relaxed, and smile round at everyone. Eventually, the Sorting Hat ran out of first years, much to its dismay, and we were all hushed by Mrs. Granger. She seemed nervous, but in control at the same time.

"Okay then, now that that's over, time to head off to the common rooms. First years, the prefects will escort you, and teach you all the rules. Please do pay attention, but if you do have any questions, feel free to ask anyone here. I hope you all have a brilliant day tomorrow, and please, do enjoy your time at Hogwarts, for it is really special. And a wise professor once told me 'Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it" keep this in mind. May the feast begin." And with that, all arrays of food decorated the table. Hungry and over our nerves, we all dug in, eating anything and everything in sight, barely speaking. When finished, we all got up, located the prefect, Henry was his name, and followed him down the winding corridors. The stairs, which moved just like in the stories, had walls surrounding them lined with whispering portraits, examining the first years as we walked past.

"Is that a potter?" "Oh look, a Weasly!" "aah, Henry got prefect, congratulations Henry" Henry replied with a thanks. The rules Henry taught us along the way were fairly simple to follow, so I barely payed attention, too busy examining the portraits as they moved between each other. When we had finally reached the fat lady, who was waiting impatiently for us to arrive, she let out a smile, then she turned on Henry.

"Really Henry, how long does it take? Did you lead them through the forbidden forest or something?" but she didn't stay mad for long, "oh look, what a wonderful bunch" Henry just shook his head.

"Salmon" I was a bit confused, but then, as the portrait swung open, I realised it was the password. I made a mental note.

"Wicked" Albus muttered beside me as we entered the Gryffindor common room. It was just as my father had described it and my mother had drawn it. Red tapestries, an open fire and comfy lounge chairs greeted us.

"Boys to the left, girls to the right, your luggage will be waiting. Please enter the door with your name printed on it and do try and get some sleep. Goodnight everyone" Henry instructed as people pushed past each other up to the rooms. Only Albus, Remus, Rose and I stayed behind, much to Henrys disapproval.

"Look, we'll talk in the morning, okay? Right now, I think we should get some sleep." Rose was probably the most responsible out of us all, and wasn't planning on any late night talks. While usually I might have argued, and perhaps Albus and Remus would usually have argued also, we were all tired from the long trip, so we all agreed.

"Yeah, see you in the morning, hopefully we're in the same classes" with a yawn, we all exchanged goodbyes, and went up to our rooms. Rose and I were roommates, along with Eleanor, Lilliana, Sophie and Mary. They were all nice, and saying goodnight, we slipped into a peaceful sleep. However those red eyes still haunted me, and as much as I tried to fight them, they were still there. Finally from exhaustion, I feel into a deeper sleep than I thought possible, not dreaming of anything.


	7. First Day Of Classes

A bell woke me up out of my dreamless sleep, and rubbing my eyes, I groaned and rolled over. I had woken up in the middle of the night, worrying what the Sorting Hat had meant when it had said that I would do well in Slytherin. Eventually, I had fallen back to that same, dreamless sleep. Rose and I had realised with delight that we were in the same class, as not only each other, but Lilliana and Sophie. We had been anxious to find out if we would be with the boys. Sophie Pigmy was French, and had gorgeous ash blonde hair and a petite figure, but a fiery personality, while Lilliana Pevlensy was tiny, with mouse brown hair and a timid personality to match. We all became friends, although we weren't as close as Rose and I. I opened my eyes warily, blinking as the sunlight streamed through the open window. Rose, I saw, was already up, and had arranged not only her books, quill and ink, but mine as well. She tugged nervously on her uniform, and her long brown hair was braided into two French braids on either side of her head. She had slipped on a plain black headband, and she managed to pull of the lumpy and stiff uniform. I was so not a morning person, and as I lay there, despite my excitement, I couldn't bring myself to drag myself out of my warm comfy bed and into the cold autumn day. Hagrid had been right, winter was here early.

Clearly realising I wasn't planning on getting up; Rose pulled back my doona cover, despite my loud protests. Admitting defeat, I sleepily grabbed my uniform and made my way to the bathroom to change. I took one look in the mirror, and laughed. What a sight I was! My hair was sticking up at all angles, and I had big purple bags under my eyes. When I was finally changed and satisfied, I splashed my face with water, brushed my hair, leaving it down, and made my way out of the bathroom. All of the girls were up, everyone yawning and moving slowly except for Rose, who was practically bouncing. I grabbed my book bag, being careful not to knock the ink, slung it gently over my shoulder, and met Rose at the door. When we made it down to the common room, Albus and Remus were waiting. Albus' uniform was a mess. His top button was undone, his tie loose, his shirt untucked and his shoe lace undone. His books were spilling out of his book bag. Remus, however, was looking neat and clearly organised, like Rose. When they saw us, they rose from their seats and smiled at us in anticipation.

"1C" we yelled in sync, smiling like fools when we realised that this year would be spent together. There were 1A, B and C classes, same with all the other years, unless one had more students, then they added an extra class which became 1D.

"This is going to be brilliant" we all agreed, and making our way to breakfast, we discussed what classes we were looking forward to.

"Most likely defence against the dark arts with Tonks," Remus laughed, but I continued on, "and spells and charms with Mrs. Granger," This caused Rose to blush, and Albus to nudge her playfully in the ribs. "Oh," I realised I'd missed out my most favourite subject of all, "Flying! With um, Madam Hooch" I smiled at their shocked expressions

"You, Aurora Lovegood, flying? You can barely stand still without knocking anything over" Albus was teasing me.

"oh puh-lease," I over pronounced, trying to get the point across, we were all seated, and talking around mouthfuls of delicious food "I do _not _fall over that much, in fact, I am perfectly capable of standing up straight, I have even been known to run in a straight line."

Much to my dismay, however, just at that moment when I chose to stand up from my seat at the table, not only having finished my food, but trying to prove a point, I sat up a little too fast and somehow fell back over the bench, landing on my behind.

"Oof". Everyone who was around stopped eating and stared, then burst out laughing, including my friends. They were in hysterics by the time I had managed to get myself up and dust myself off. Albus had tears streaming down his face, and Rose was laughing so hard that she didn't make a noise. Remus was a little more composed, but only barely.

"Hmph" I said in a humpty dumpty way, sticking my nose up in the air, grabbing my book bag and walking out of the grand hall, but not before stumbling, much to my embarrassment, on a bag dropped carelessly on the floor. As I was in the lobby, heading towards our first class, potions, I heard footsteps coming up behind me.

"Aurora, wait up, we didn't mean to laugh at you, it's just, you should've seen your face" Albus caught my arm, just as the Rose and Remus caught up. They were out of breath, and still slightly laughing. I pulled my arm free, secretly I wasn't really mad, but I wasn't going to let them get away with laughing at me scotch free.

"Yes, whatever you say, Albus Severus Potter, doesn't matter anyway, I best be off to find some REAL friends" I started to walk off again, but Remus blocked my path. Sighing, I stopped.

"Come on aurora, you know we didn't mean it" I shook my head, while carefully reaching into my bag. My hand found the can of Silly String my mum had packed, 'just in case' although what just in case had been a mystery until now. I unpopped the lid, and shot the string right at Remus' chest.

"Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to" I said cheekily and ran off in the direction of the dungeons. I heard yells and laughs coming from behind me. We were running through the corridors, giggling and pushing each other, when we ran straight into Filch, the caretaker. He was leaning on a walking stick, and didn't seem too pleased to see us. We froze, terrified.

"Right you lot, if you have so much energy, then how 'bout a detention? After lessons, 4:00, meet me at my office, I think we have some cleaning that needs to be done." Groaning internally, we all nodded. "Off ya go, and no more running. Oh, and don't even think about trying to get out of it, because I will find you" and with that, he limped off. When he was out of earshot, we turned to each other.

"Great" Rose whined, "If, no, _when _my mother finds out about this, I'll be dead meat! Detention on the first day, I can't believe it!" we all nodded our agreement, but didn't really say anything in reply, and continued on our walk sombrely. When finally we reached the dungeons, we had forgotten all about the detention. One, because there stood Scorpius Malfoy and scowling beside him were his two thugs, second, because just then, Snape appeared, cloaks billowing all around.

"Come in and take a seat" he said, eyeing us all. His gaze lingered for a moment longer on us four, but it was barely noticeable. We grabbed a table at the back, and pulled out our books and quills.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making" everyone listened in intently, well, apart from us four. However, I knew the lines off by heart, so there was no need for me to hang on his every word. Remus and Albus were having an elbow fight beside me. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach" it was the same speech my parents had heard, but this time it carried more warmth. However, even then it was as cold as a dementor's breath. Snape started his rounds of questions, and I was surprised to find that he asked the same ones he had so long ago.

"Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root to an infusion of wormwood?" I put my hand half up in the air, unlike Rose whose shot straight up without hesitation.

"Miss Lovegood" he called on me and all eyes turned to me expectantly.

"Um, you get a sleeping potion that's really powerful and um, is known as Draught of Living Death." I had spoken slowly, carelessly; trying to keep my cool, while underneath my heart was beating fast.

"Correct. If I'm not mistaken, your father wasn't exactly best at potions class, now was he? It appears that you did not inherit that gene, luckily for you" I didn't know if this was a compliment, but I took it as one anyway. Snape asked a few more questions, before setting us the task of making a potion to cure hiccups. Albus, Rose, Remus and I were sharing a table, with Rose and I helping out the boys.

"No Remus!" Rose slapped his hand away from the Eye of Newt, "do you _want _this potion to blow up? Here, take this" she handed him some Wolfsbane. This continued on for the rest of the lesson. When Snape finally came around to inspect our work, we had been finished for a while.

"Well, well, well" he said, his nose close to Albus and I's cauldron. I held my breath. "Could be better, not quite the right colour, but good enough. 5 points for Gryffindor" Albus and I looked at each other, shocked. Did Snape seriously just give us house points? He continued around the room, taking points from houses occasionally, and giving them back to other people. We walked out of the dungeons, astounded. We hadn't said a word. We all knew that Snape was good now, but we didn't expect him to give us house points. Of course though, in true Snape fashion, we had to write a five page essay on the correct uses, colours and textures of 5 different hiccup potions.

"I can't believe that just happened" Albus managed to mutter. We all nodded our agreement.

"Um guys?" we were snapped out of your thoughts by Sophie, who was heading in the opposite direction to us. "Flying class is this way" we all shared an excited look, and followed Sophie to the courtyard of grass, where 20 brooms lay hovering close to the ground. A stern looking teacher, with grey hair stood at the end. She had leather coats and a rusty whistle.

"Alright you lot" she blew her whistle, and we stood next to a broom, Rose, Remus, Albus and I all next to each other. Madam Hooch looked us over, examining us, to see if she recognised any faces I presumed.

"Hurry up" she barked at some people still loitering. "All right, hand above broom like so" she demonstrated, and we all copied, even though most of us knew what to do, "repeat after me. Up" repeating the word up, some brooms flew up to meet our hands. Albus, Remus and I all grabbed hold of our broom, but Rose's wasn't coming up.

"UP" she yelled at it, so it obliged, and hit her in the face. After checking she was okay, we bent over laughing.

"Alright you lot, mount your brooms" we did as we were told. Lilliana Povlensy appeared to be having trouble with her broom, as it was jerking side to side.

"Miss. Povlensy, please calm your broom down." Trying, Lilliana ended up going further into the sky.

"Lilliana, get down now!" but it was too late, Lilliana was zooming off. Apparently, her broom felt like a game of quidditch; for from what we could see, which was quite a bit, was that her broom had dropped her off in the goal post and left her there. Poor Lilliana was clinging for dear life to the round circular goal. Madam Hooch didn't have her broom on her, for some reason, and she was far too heavy to ride one of ours, so being the heroes that we are, Remus, Albus, Rose and I set off, ignoring the angry calls from Madam Hooch.

"Okay, Rose, she's going to hop on your broom. Remus, go down a bit below where she is, just in case she falls, Aurora, you'll be behind, help her out, yeah? I'll be with Remus." I didn't bother arguing. If Albus wanted to lead, then that was cool. Sticking to the plan, we took up our positions.

"Okay Lilliana, come on, you're going to be on Rose's broom, don't worry now, you'll be fine" I coaxed her, but she wasn't moving.

"Come on Lilliana, look at me, will I let you fall?" she looked at my earnest face and turned back to Rose and her broom. Slowly but surely, she let go of the goal post, with me holding her waist so she wouldn't fall. I had mastered the no hand flying technique just last year, and I was crazy proud. When Lilliana's weight landed on the broom, it sunk down a bit, and the terrified girl gave a small scream, which made Rose jump and knock the goal post, causing the two girls to tumble off the broom. I watched in horror as they plummeted towards the Earth. Remus and Albus weren't in the right position, and the girls were hurdling through the air too fast. I took off after them, like any maniac would, and caught Roses hand, who caught Lilliana's. I was nearly pulled off the broom, but Remus grabbed my other hand, and I clung with dear life to the piece of wood with my knees. Albus had grabbed hold of Remus, and we must have looked odd, a wizarding chain, floating there in mid air. Yet I couldn't bring myself to giggle, for I was scared even the slightest movement would cause me to lose my grip on Rose's arm, which meant losing Lilliana too. Having gotten over the initial shock of Lilliana's flying and our daring rescue, someone sent two senior students who flew up clutching two brooms in their hands. Lilliana mounted one, and Rose the other, and we flew safely back down to the ground. I didn't want to think what punishment awaited us. As we were flying carefully back down, I caught a glimpse of Snape standing in the window, staring at us in horror. Gulping, I paid attention to the landing. A cheering class of students greeted us when our feet were firmly on the ground. Everyone ran up to hug us, and I couldn't help but think of Harry Potter's occurrence with retrieving the Rememberball. Amongst the cheers, a whistle blew, and the crowd departed. Standing at the end was Madame Hooch, her arms crossed over her chest, and disapproval and anger written all over her face.

"Look Mada—"Albus started, but was cut off when Madam Hooch held up her hand for silence. We bowed our heads, waiting for the punishment.

"The fact that you disobeyed my strict orders of not flying is enough to get you kicked out of Hogwarts altogether, then there's the fact that you endangered your own lives" my stomach plummeted to the ground, just like Lilliana and Rose had a minute ago. "However, it seems that what you did was with good intentions, and the flying was rather good, so, the punishment is 50 points from Gryffindor, and you must try out for the team" we didn't argue with the loss of 50 points, for we were too frightened that we would be kicked out if we even said a word, plus, we were being forced to try out for the team! We hugged each other and those around us, and I looked up to see if Snape was still there, watching. However, he was no longer standing there, an eerie darkness on a summer's day. Perhaps he was a vampire who couldn't stand the sun. The rest of the day flew by, and we had herbology, spells and charms which was... interesting, ancient runes, and muggle studies. I was slightly disappointed that there was no Defence Against the Dark Arts until tomorrow, but I pushed it aside. We were trying out for the team! After today's events, I had nearly forgotten the detention.

"I can't believe it's the first day and we already have a detention! Filch is gonna get on my nerves this term, I can tell" Remus muttered as we walked from the Common Room to Filch's office. We were all worn out from the day past, and we had a mountain load of homework. When the old, battered door came into sight, we all shared a look and Rose pushed open the creaky door. Filch's office was in a deserted part of the school, and our footsteps echoed along the cold stone floor. Lamps lit the way, and cobwebs were everywhere, much to my dislike.

"Here goes nothing" Albus muttered. Filch's office was packed with confiscated items from years past. Everything and anything, and if I'm not mistaken half of them were Fred and George Weasley's. Filch grunted his acknowledgment, limped up and handed us each a bucket, gloves and a sponge.

"Alright you lot, time to clean the bathrooms on the second floor" I groaned internally. We trudged up with Filch in the lead. He obviously didn't trust us not to run off. I saw that there was a stool planted outside the door with a cat perched on it, cleaning itself.

"Alright you rascals, in you go" and we were pushed inside. It would have been pitch black had it not been for the eerie candles that hovered in mid air. A shiver ran up my spine. There was no moon today, and so all we had was the glow and warmth from the fire. After 30 minutes or so, Filch poked his head in and told us that he had to attend to some issues with the resident ghost trouble maker, Peeves . Gleefully, we listened as his footsteps died away.

"Finally" Albus put down the sponge, and we all followed suit. My hands and back were aching, and my knees were scratched from kneeling down so much. Luckily it wasn't Myrtle's bathroom, so we were left in peace and quiet.

"So, what do you think? Albus Severus Potter, First Year Quidditch Captain" He struck a pose, and we all laughed. I threw a sponge at him.

"Don't be silly, I'm surprised we're even allowed to try out, let alone get a spot on the team." He had soaked the sponge I had thrown at him in his bucket of dirty water and lobbed it back at me. I screamed quietly as one could scream, when it hit me square in the head, soaking my hair.

"You'll regret that!" and next thing I knew, it was a full blown war. Sponges soaked with dirty water flew, and nobody was safe. However, we were all stopped dead by the sound of footsteps. By now we were dripping wet, and the water echoed of the tiled floor. We tiptoed to the door, trying to listen to the sound of rising voices.

"Don't you see Professor McGonagall? History is repeating itself. Soon, the Death Eaters will be joined together under a new leader, and soon, Albus, Remus, Rose and Aurora will get involved, just like their parents. Only this time, Albus Dumbledore won't be here to save them. Can't you see that?" he begged, his voice little more than a whisper. Shocked at the mention of our names, we pressed our ears closer to the door.

"Of course I can see it Severus. Do you think I'm blind?" she snapped, "but what are we supposed to do? The children are safe here. What do you plan on doing? Restart the Order? Or how about Dumbledore's Army? Or would it be better to lock them up in a cage for 20 years? There is bad in this world Severus, they need to accept that, they're not 5 years old. However, I won't send them out to fight, I won't and you know it. They're safe here and most importantly, they need their education Severus, understand that please, I beg of you" But Professor Snape was no longer the begging man he had been only minutes ago. He was cold and hard, and he stared daggers at McGonagall.

"As you wish, _Headmistress, _I will treat them like I treat everyone else, and they will get their _education_." And with that, he turned on his heel. The Headmistress gazed sadly at his retreating figure.

"Oh Severus" and she too left, but not before stopping and listening for any eavesdroppers. This caused the four of us to freeze. However she left, not hearing our beating hearts. We crept slowly back from the door. We didn't utter a word, going over in our heads what we had heard. When we heard Filch's limping footsteps, we scrubbed harder. We were shivering in our wet clothes, but it was nothing compared to the shivers running up and down our spines.

"Alright you lot, off to bed" and we ditched our buckets and walked, not ran, as fast as possible. When we were safely in the common room, we let out a breath of relief. Saying goodnight, we all went up to our rooms, taking care not to wake the others. However tired we were, it would appear that no-one would be sleeping tonight.


	8. Tonks A lot

**DADA, YAY! (Defence Against the Dark Arts)**

**Sorry guys, it is just easier writing it abbreviated. **

**Anyway... hope you enjoy and review.**

The group of four shuffled slowly to their first class. None of them paid attention to Herbology, or the classes that followed. None of them had slept, or had been able to think of anything but what Professor Snape and Headmistress McGonagall had discussed, or more accurately, argued.

"This is ridiculous" Rose hissed as we played with our food at the lunch table. Defence Against the Dark Arts was next, and then it was the weekend, but I wasn't even excited about that. We all stirred from our waking slumber, and looked into Rose's fiery eyes.

"I mean, we don't know what we heard was in the right context, and even if it was, which I'm not saying it is, shouldn't we be figuring our exactly what they meant? Not just walking around like trolls" although it was hard to keep up with her quick tongue, it seemed to do the trick. Our eyes lost their glazed over look, and our minds were working.

"You're right Rose, but how?" I kept my voice low, and we all looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. We were all silent for a moment, thinking over plans in our heads, but none of them seemed to work out.

"I've got it!" we all looked at Rose expectantly. "The Marauders Map, its perfect!" we looked at each other, confusion clear on our faces. Rose sighed at our slowness, and was quick to explain.

"Look, my Uncles had given me the map 'just in case' and if I'm not mistaken Albus, your father gave you his invincibility cloak." We all turned to him, and her nodded."Good, well, as I was saying, I was on the way to my mother's office, and just when I was about to knock, I heard Headmistress McGonagall. She was asking my mother if she would accompany her to a meeting in Hogsmeade, specifically the 3 Broomsticks, this weekend, which is tomorrow. Now, while I may not like it, I think we have to spy on them, and what better way to do it then using the objects that our relatives used before us. I say that we use the map to get out of Hogwarts, and we all hide under the cloak and listen in to what they have to discuss. Hopefully it's not school stuff, but has something to do wit—" she didn't get to finish, because right then, as we were all leaned over, excited, Scorpius and his thugs chose to walk by. _Ugh, _I thought to myself, _he really is like his father. _

"Look at you four, trying to figure out who is the smelliest I presume? Don't worry about deciding who is most irrelevant, I've already done that, and it has to be Aurora" I was caught off guard by his harsh words, but decided not to let it show. I shot a look at Albus, who was visibly fuming. _Great. _I cringed as Albus stood up and turned towards Scorpius. The hall was silent, and every pair of eyes was watching the exchange.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all" Albus was looking Scorpius square in the eye.

"No, but she did say never to mingle with losers like the _Potters_" he sneered Albus' last name, as if it were a disease. However, this didn't faze Albus, who was intent on winning this fight. I hadn't realized it, but my eyes were wide, just like my mouth, as I stared at the two boys who obviously had a great dislike for each other.

"Well then, let's not mingle and take this outside" Albus' voice was low and sharp, and the words sounded like an explosion. Scorpius' thugs stepped forward, just as Remus stood up, and Aaron and James appeared by his brother's side.

"Everything alright, Mr Potter?" Snape's voice was cool as he made his way through the Grand Hall to where the scene was transpiring. "It appears that you are not only disturbing some of my Slytherins, but the rest of the students too. 20 points from Gryffindor." I was speechless. What had happened to the Snape that had given us points in potions?

"But-"Albus tried to explain however Snape cut him off.

"Do you want it to become 50 points, Mr. Potter? You know you really aren't that different from both your father when he was at school and your brother, always causing trouble" he shot a nasty look at James, who held his glare. Snape eyed the students, who were watching, and they immediately turned back to their food, however no one was really eating. Whispers arose in the hall as soon as the doors had closed behind Snape, but everyone was now silent again to see what would become of this exchange.

"It appears I've won this one Potter, too bad, so sad. Well, until we fight again" he mock bowed, and he too made his was from the hall, his security following behind. The boys sunk down in their seats beside us, and Albus shoved his bowl away, which James picked up and started eating from.

"Well, that sucks" James exclaimed after he had finished both his and Albus's lunch. We all nodded our agreement, not saying anything more until Aaron asked

"What started it?" we all looked at Albus, who was busy staring angrily at the door at which both Scorpius and Snape had exited. Realising this question was directed at him, he turned to face the questioning faces. He shrugged and shot a look at me.

"He was being a jerk to one of my friends, what else was I meant to do? Hold hands, make a circle, and proclaim peace?" he shook his head mockingly and got up from the table, "come on, we have to get to class" he walked off before we could collect our thoughts. Rose hurriedly stuffed everything into her book bag and hurried to catch up to Remus and I, while we were trying to catch up to Albus with no luck.

"Hey guys, so, the plan?" she looked between us, and we just shrugged.

"I'm not so sure Rose, I don't think Albus will be up to it" was Remus's reply, just as a suit of armour crashed to the ground in front of us.

"Of course I'm up to it" he said, striding out from where the armour had previously stood. We all broke out laughing like maniacs, but stopped the instant we heard Filch behind us.

"You lot again, alright, Sunday detentions, and I'll be keeping a close eye on yer" we all looked at each other, annoyance on our face. "Well? What you waiting for, off to class" we nodded, and picked our way through the mess. When we were safely out of hearing distance, we burst out laughing.

"As if we didn't hear old peg leg. Geez, we better get better at this" Albus was trying hard to contain his smile. The weather was dark and grey, with a storm looming on the horizon. Thunder drummed over head. Only Rose didn't seem to think it was funny.

"The plan, we can no longer do it" realising what this meant, we all groaned. We were going to be late to class, but still we shuffled along at our slow pace, hating ourselves internally.

"Great, now what do we do?" Albus kicked a nearby rock, which hissed at him and hurried away on its little vine legs. We were fast approaching the DADA room, and although we were dragging our feet, we hurried along, eager to see what awaited us. Pushing open the huge oak door, we found two benches side by side amongst the others in the middle, just as Tonks appeared at the top of a small staircase which no doubt led into her office.

"Alright class, can anyone tell me what a Deatheater is?" she made her way down the stairs, stumbling on the last one. Remus, who was seated beside Albus, shook his head. Several hands shot up in the air, including Rose's. Mine went up too, although only half-heartedly, for I wasn't quite sure how to explain it.

"Yes Miss. Weasly" Tonks perched on the edge of the desk, which was already cluttered with papers and tests, by the looks of things. My gaze wandered around the room, taking in the jars of unknown creatures and objects that hung at different heights from the high, arching roof and cluttered the windowsills. I refocused just in time to take note of Rose's answer.

"Well, a Deatheater was, or is, someone who was part of a group of dark wizards who worked closely with Voldemort and did his bidding. They used forbidden spells, and killed countless of innocents. Most of them died or escaped into hiding with the fall of their master" Tonks nodded, and started pacing around the room. I noticed Scorpius, who was sitting at the very back of the room, had a blank gaze. It was no secret that both his father and grandfather had been death eaters, or at least associated with them. Albus nudged Remus and whispered something, both of them laughing nastily. Tonks shot them a look, which made them dead silent.

"Very good Rose. You see, Deatheaters were just as described. Vicious, unforgiving, merciless, and some argue that now that Voldemort is dead, the threat of the Deatheaters died with him. However, this may not be precisely true. Nevertheless, whether or not they are still a threat, we will be looking into and discussing Deatheaters for the next 6 weeks, and I expect you to all pay close attention. I will teach you how to defend yourself against dark wizards, Deatheaters or not, and how to read the signs of evil. Today, however, we will be discussing basic offensive and defensive spells. Everyone, pull out your wands." We did as we were told, and the lesson continued to be a whirlwind of wand battling, and who knew what spells. It turns out that Remus, Albus, Rose, Scorpius (even though I hate to admit that he knew anything) and I knew the most about duelling and so forth. By the end, we were grinning like crazy, and stumbling out of the classroom, laughing our heads off and recounting the lesson.

"Remus, could I see you for a second please?" Tonks stuck her head out the door. The four of us stopped, and Remus nodded, telling us not to wait up. We strolled around the corridors, enjoying the breeze, and looking at the sky, predicting when the rain would come. It wasn't until we were back in the common room, warming up in front of the fire and telling stories that Remus reappeared.

"Well," we all asked eagerly, taking care to be out of the earshot of other students. "What happened, what did she say?" Remus looked pale, and kept eyeing the moonless night.

"She's going to the meeting with McGonagall and Mrs. Granger. She says that she won't be able to talk to me for a while because she'll be busy doing work, but I don't think she meant teaching stuff. I think we were right, and that something big is going down, but if what Snape said is true, and we're being taught to defend ourselves against Deatheaters, then it's big. It's really big." He tried to compose himself, and it worked, a little. We nodded, our faces grave. It turns out the year at Hogwarts was going to be a lot more dangerous than I had predicted. I thought of my room at home, loving and warm, and then of my dorm, cosy and quick becoming home, with my flying clothes out and broom prepped for try outs tomorrow. Fear gripped my stomach.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, searching the others faces.

"We're going to go to Quidditch try outs tomorrow, knock everyone's socks off, and make the team. From there, we're going to figure out what is going on, although I don't think adults are going to help us. We need to find a newspaper; perhaps we could steal one from a teacher's office. Maybe Rose, if you don't mind, while we are trying out tomorrow and a few of the teachers are out of their office, for example, Madam Hooch, you could steal one of theirs. If not, we'll figure something else out." Albus had once again, taken the lead, and I was thankful that someone had. Rose shook her head in a determined way

"No, that's fine; I'll steal into one of their offices, no worries. Perhaps I'll even have enough time to come and watch you guys make the team" she gave a small but resolute smile. We nodded, smiles on our lips as well.

"Okay then, that's that. Hopefully the newspapers will give us a clue, if not, well then, we'll figure something out. For now, we need to get some sleep, alright? I think we're going to have a big week ahead of us. Come on Albus, good night Rose and Aurora." We all said our goodnights, and headed up to bed. The older students were still awake, but most were drifting back to their dorms. I prepared myself mentally for the day that would follow as I lay awake in bed, praying that everything would turn out alright.


	9. Watch Out For The!

**Albus's point of view, YAY!**

**I know it's a shorter chapter, but have no fear, Intothevalley is here!**

**Cheesy, I know**

**Will Aurora live on or will she perish like hope in a dementor's company? (though of that one myself, hehe)**

**Do I really have to do a disclaimer?**

I took a deep breath as I entered the Quidditch pitch. I was grateful to hear that it was going to be a closed try out. That morning I had hurriedly gulped down breakfast and raced back to my dorm to check that everything was alright. If it hadn't been for the fact that both Albus and Remus were also trying out, I may not have shown up. Rose had had to drag me from our room, before venturing off on her own adventure. I was sad that she couldn't watch, but at least if I mucked up there wouldn't be a huge audience. The air was crisp, and it was a cold autumn morning. Hogwarts was strangely quiet, and all that could be heard was the echoed sound of birds waking up from their slumber. I looked around in wonder at the stands, the goal posts, and the giant field that lay bare before me. Albus, Remus and I were some of the first there, and we all stood nervously, hopping from one foot to the other.

'_Calm down Aurora' _I thought to myself, _'how long have you been training for this day? This is for you, do it for yourself.' _My little pep talk (pep think?) had helped a little, but was instantly forgotten as Madam Hooch walked out onto the field, her stride long and purposeful. She nodded as she passed the three of us, and greeted a few of the other students. Most of them were in their sixth or seventh year, and towered over both Albus and I. Remus wasn't as short, having come into his height earlier than most. He did have werewolf in his blood after all. We were clearly the youngest there. _It's all okay, _I reassured myself, _maybe your height will be an advantage, I mean, you'll cut through the air quicker. _This thought helped, and I smiled at my friends.

"Alright you lot, here's how it will go. We're going to play a game, and you're each going to be playing in the position you want to try out for. So, can I get Seekers over here?" I followed her direction, instantly thinking myself stupid for even thinking I stood a chance. Helga Thump had been Seeker three years in a row, and while we hadn't really won a whole lot of games, it was her spot. I gulped down my fear, watching as Albus and Remus took their place among the other wannabe beaters. We all mounted our brooms after a sharp talking to from Madam Hooch about 'flying a fair game and taking this seriously'.

We flew up into the air, and most of my worry vanished like the ground below. I felt the smooth, polished wood beneath my fingertips, and instantly felt at home. We all waited in silence as Madam Hooch got out her clipboard and quill. When she was ready, she took a deep breath, looked each of us over, and blew her whistle. We were off! Bludgers flew, chasers went after quaffles. I waited patiently above the mayhem, trying not to get distracted as I searched for the Snitch. Albus and Remus were doing a brilliant job, and were much better than their opponents. Our team was up by two goals, even though we weren't meant to be keeping score. This game was purely so Madam Hooch could see how well we played. I kept a keen eye peeled for the small flying ball, and my breath got caught in my throat as I saw it hovering near the Ravenclaw stand. I went hurtling after it, never once taking my eyes away from the Snitch as it weaved in and out of the stands and goal posts. Helga Thump had also spotted it, and we were neck and neck, our hands outstretched. We just narrowly dodged a bludger that cut straight through the middle of where we had been flying. However, I hadn't taken my eyes off the Snitch, unlike Helga, who was looking at where I was headed and trying to spot the walnut sized ball. I had my arm outstretch again, and was so focused on catching the Snitch that I failed to notice the goal post looming ominously in front of me, which I was hurtling straight at. I felt the fragile wings flutter beneath my fingertips just as I collided with the sturdy metal pole. I remember hurtling towards the ground, losing consciousness luckily before I made contact.

**Albus's POV (yay!)**

I watched on in horror as Aurora collided with the goal post, her eyes seeing only the snitch.

"NO!" I yelled out, flying after her, trying to stop the inevitable contact she would make with the ground, and the damage it would do. I managed to grab her arm just before she hit the grass, and the impact wasn't as it would have been. I jumped off my broom just as Remus and the others landed. Aurora looked so peaceful, and I noticed she was clutching something in her hand. Madam hooch had come over, and watched as I plucked the Snitch from Aurora's fingers.

"She caught it" someone mumbled, no one really taking notice. There was blood running down Aurora's face. A hovering stretcher arrived, just as Madam Hooch replied with sadness

"Yes, but at what cost" both Remus and I accompanied Aurora to the hospital wing, and were told to wait outside by Madam Pomfrey. We sat against the wall, waiting anxiously.

"Albus, Remus!" Rose came around the corner, her brown hair ruffled by the slight breeze. Her face was flushed and she looked like she was out of breath, but from the happiness in her face, I don't think she had yet heard the news. Remus and I exchanged a look.

"Where have you guys been? And where's Aurora? Oh well, there's no time to find her, we'll tell her later. I got it" she jumped about a bit, and noticing that we weren't jumping with her, or even smiling, her expression become confused. She looked around, taking in where we were.

"What's going on? Why are we outside the hospital wing? And just where is Aurora?" I couldn't help the glance that I threw to the door. Rose, comprehending what this meant, pushed open the doors before we could stop her. She raced to Aurora's side, not taking notice of Madam Pomfrey's annoyance. Remus and I followed sluggishly after her, not wanting to see Aurora's broken body.

"Oh my! How-?" she had one hand covering her mouth in horror, and she slumped down into the seat beside Aurora's bed. I'd never known Rose to slump, and it caught me by surprise.

"She collided with the goal post" Remus's voice was silent, but cut like knives in the air. I hated Hospitals, even Hospital Wings. They always gave me the shivers, and sadness seemed to leak from the walls. Although, I guess this is an unfair analogy **(A/N: not sure if that's right, but it sounds okay haha) **Hospitals bring hope, and they give life, not take it away. Rose was sobbing, and Remus patted her awkwardly on the back, mumbling reassurances. Madam Pomfrey bustled past us, and was about to yell at us to get out, but then she saw our expressions.

"Now now, don't you worry, she's in good hands, if I do say so myself." Her bones seemed to creak as she moved, and her skin was wrinkled, but not from the sun. Her face was lined from years of worry, but still her expression was warm as she looked at us. "She'll make it, it would've been a lot worse if you hadn't of caught her though. So a well done is in order I suppose." She patted me on the back, but not in the awkward way that Remus did. Her pat was one from years of practice. Despite the fact that her hands were thin and bony, it was still warm and gentle and reassuring. It made me homesick for my mother, although I tried to hide it. I just nodded and smiled a thin smile.

"You better be off to bed, it's no use you just sitting around waiting for her to wake up. She'll probably have come around by morning, so you really shouldn't worry." And she gently but firmly herded us from the hospital wing. We sighed, looking sad. It wasn't the same when it was just us three, and hopefully sleep would come easy that night, for otherwise I would be alone with my thoughts.

Not wanting to face the questions that were sure to come, we waited until the last possible moment to enter the common room. A few people still lingered, and asked a few questions, but nothing overwhelming. We sluggishly made our way up to bed, a piece missing from our puzzle.

**Yeah, yeah, so the whole Dementor's thing seems a bit lame now, because she's going to be alright, but still.**

**Please Review!**


	10. Ow?

**It's been a while, but that's due to the fact that I have exams (tomorrow, which i should be studying for. Emphasis on the word _should) _**

**Anyway.. so yeah, I've had so much homework.**

**Hopefully there will be more chapters soon.**

**Hugs and kisses if you leave a review.**

**xx**

**Aurora's POV**

I woke up, every bone in my body aching. It was morning, I could see, from the light that shone in through the windows. Madam Pomfrey had just entered the large oak doors that were to my right. The hospital bed creaked as I shifted my body weight, and Madam Pomfrey's sharp eyes flicked to me. She smiled, and hurried over.

"Oh good, you're awake. Now, I wouldn't get up if I was you, for you had a pretty nasty collision yesterday. It's best that you remain in bed. You'll be good as new tomorrow though, despite the fact that your black eye suggests otherwise." I nodded, although instantly regretted the decision to. My head throbbed, and I took care to be very still. It was maybe an hour or so before the doors burst open again, and Rose, Remus and Albus came rushing through. Relief flooded their faces when they saw I was awake.

"Oh Aurora!" Rose's hands fluttered uncertainly before deciding that my hand looked okay. She patted it, and sat down in the chair beside my bed. The boys stood uncertainly.

"You're alright! Oh thank heavens. When I saw you lying there, I thought for certain you'd never wake up. Oh I couldn't sleep a wink last night" Rose was talking at a hundred kilometres per minute, not taking any notice of the uncertain boys, or the fact that Headmistress McGonagall had walked through the door, and was watching as Rose blurted out about finding the boys sitting outside the hospital wing. Thankfully, she didn't mention the newspaper. When Rose finally stopped for breath, the Headmistress coughed.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing okay, Miss. Lovegood. It appears that you are in capable hands. I wish I could stay and chat, but I'm afraid I have some other matters to attend to. Do get well soon." And she turned on her heel and left, leaving us stunned as we stood/sat/lay there, not sure what to say.

"Oh my" Rose looked pale. She looked dreadful, and it was blatantly obvious that she hadn't slept. There were dark purple bags underneath her eyes, her hair was mussed, her clothes askew, and her socks were odd. For Rose, this was extremely unusual, and my heart warmed at the fact that she had been worried about me, but then I was annoyed too. Poor Rose had put herself through so much stress for no reason whatsoever.

"Oh Rose, you silly old bat. You knew I was getting better, so you shouldn't have been so harsh on yourself. Really, I feel so bad. Although I do appreciate the fact that you were concerned about me" I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Remus coughed, and we all turned our attention towards him.

"Um, we have detention that we best be off to, sorry, but we'll come and see you afterwards, alright?" I nodded, and smiled as the two boys waved awkwardly and practically dragged Rose from my bedside. She kept looking back, as if checking to see if I was still there. I sighed, not looking forward to the day of silence and boredom that lay ahead. Someone had brought my school books and had placed them at my bedside table, with parchment, a quill and ink. _At least, _I thought to myself, picking up my potions book and turning to page 264, _it'll be something to do. _

_**A few hours later...**_

A shrill, high pitched scream woke me from my day dream. Startled I looked around, foolishly, half expecting to see if it was another patient in the wing. However, I was, as I had been that morning, alone. Testing my strength, I pulled off my covers, and tried walking. I stumbled, but other than that, and after a bit of practice, I was fine. I pulled on my dressing gown someone had left for me and my slippers which were beside my bed also, and hurried as fast as I could (limping) out of the wing. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen, so there were no protests to my leaving. I followed a crowd of students who seemed to be headed to the scene of the scream. I was shocked to see we ended up in front of the Gryffindor common room. Pushing my way through the crowd, I stumbled upon Rose, Remus and Albus, who had just come from the other direction.

"Aurora!" Rose hugged me, surprised, I presumed, to see me out of bed. I laughed, but got back to the business of finding out what happened. We pushed, elbowed, anything really, to get to our common room. Having finally made it, we spotted a pale Lilliana sitting in front of the fire, talking to a teacher, who moved away. We hurried over, concern in my stomach.

"Lilliana, what's happened, where's Sophie?" We couldn't spot our other roommate amongst the other Gryffindors, but we were surprised when a small sob escaped the girl's mouth at the mention of her friend's name.

"She's, she's, she's... dead!" Little Lilliana blurted, timid as a mouse, and so very out of character. Shocked, I collapsed down onto the couch.

"But how?" Rose sat beside me, while the boys stood there, their faces grave.

"She had gone to get her books, and she had told me to meet her in the common room because I had had to discuss my essay with Snape. I made it here, and waited for a little while, but fearing that she'd left me, I ventured up to our room. Then, then I saw her and she was on the floor, her eyes wide. The teachers say it was a killing curse. I just the girls words were cut off by her own sob. Rose put a comforting arm around her, but shot me a worried look and mouthed

"What do we do?" I shrugged, uncertain, and murmured hopefully reassuring things to Lilliana. The boys stood there, their eyes scanning the crowd, as if the murderer still lurked amongst the shadows.

"Well one thing's for certain, you're not going to be sleeping without some sort of guard outside your room." Remus nodded his agreement, seeming to agree.

"And what makes you think it was just our dorm room, and the people in it that they're after?" My tone was sharper then I'd meant it to be, but I was still in shock over the murder. However, this wasn't the time to be losing friends.

"I mean," I started, my tone more gentler than before, "you know, maybe ours was the first dorm they came across. Hey Lil," I turned my attention to the hunched girl, who looked up wearily, "was um, Sophie, a um..." I wasn't quite sure how to state it nicely. Lilliana caught on, and almost instantly she was no longer a weak and scared girl, but a strong and fierce woman.

"A mudblood? Yes, but why does that matter? You don't think they killed her because of it do you? I thought Voldemort and his beliefs had died with the man himself."

"It's just a theory, and there are still Deatheaters to carry on his beliefs, aren't there?" Lilliana paled, and I stopped talking about it.

"AURORA!" I turned around in shock as an angry Madam Pomfrey came storming through the crowd straight towards.

"Uh oh" I murmured a second before she reached me.

"So I come out from the medicine cabinet to find you're not there, and then someone informs me a Gryffindor girl has died! Do you know what went through my head? Next time you leave the hospital wing, make sure you tell me, is that understood?"

"Yes Madam Pomfrey, sorry Madam Pomfrey" I hung my head, my cheeks blazing as all eyes turned on me and snickers were hidden behind hands. My friends glared at everyone who thought it was funny, which quickly shut them up. When Madam Pomfrey had left, and everyone was milling about, not really paying attention to us four, we found a deserted corner, not wanting to leave the common room entirely. There were to be teachers patrolling the halls tonight, and we were instructed to, under no circumstances, leave the safe confines of our dorm walls. Our voices were hushed whispers, and we glanced around every 5 minutes for eavesdroppers.

"You know what, I think what everyone needs is some pranks" Remus whispered mischievously. I smiled, not quite back to full spirits, but still more cheerful, and nodded.

"Meet me, tomorrow, in the room of requirement. I assume you all know how to get there?" we nodded, excitement so evident you could practically touch it. "Good. Don't tell anyone of our plans, or else. Until tomorrow." He mock bowed, and he and Albus made their way to their room. Rose and I smiled, and practically danced our way to our room, waiting for the new day to come. Despite this, a morbid and unshakeable feeling lurked in the pit of my stomach, tickled the tip of my tongue, and danced along my fingertips. Things at Hogwarts were beginning to change, and it appeared no-one would be sleeping tonight. It didn't occur to me until much later in the week that I thought to ask Rose who had given me my books while I was in the hospital wing. Funny how such small things can seem so insignificant at the time.

**Just what is Remus up to? keep reading to find out.**


	11. Well, Well, Well, If It Isn't

**Hi guys, so it's late at night, and I had to struggle to keep my eyes open, but I got through it in the end, aha.**

**So yeah, new chapter, yay! haha, there's not too much I want to say except something big is happening soon, so watch out for it!**

**Disclaimer- if you haven't heard of it, it's mine, the plot is mine but Harry Potter is owned non other than the brilliant J.K Rowling. **

**Please review, I know it may be annoying me asking, but it will let me know if anyone is even reading/liking the story so far.**

**Bye!**

**xx**

**Third person, focusing on Bellatrix.**

"My Mistressthe traps have been set" The black cloaked, mask-covered Deatheater bowed low before Bellatrix Lestrange, whose face was distorted with a devilish smile. Ever since her Lord had been blown to the afterlife, she had been busy rebuilding his empire.

"You better not disappoint me Rufius, you know what will become of you if you do" Bellatrix enjoyed the glance that always flicked towards the hanging corpses that floated to their right, always a strong reminder of what became of double-crossers, or those who did not meet her standards. Rufius bowed lower.

"Yes my Mistress" he quickly got out of the temperamental Death Master's path. That was the title she had given herself, Death Master, and she was rather proud, to say the least. She ruled under the same harsh and brutal regimen that Lord Voldemort did, only this time she was more practiced, more trained, and more hungry for Harry Potters-and anyone who had participated in her master's deaths- blood, including Ron Weasly, Neville Longbottom and that mudblood Hermione Granger, who had slipped from her grip what seemed to be not long ago. However, Bellatrix wasn't planning on letting them get off easy, oh no. First, she would take what they held most dear, their darling little children. She had had spies on them for years, watching their every move, and now that they were all finally in the same place, Hogwarts, she had them right where she wanted them.

Bellatrix gazed lovingly over her throne room. She had occupied a rundown mansion miles away from any town or residence. It was gigantic, skeletal, black as Bellatrix's soul, and how she loved it like a heartless monster could. Her throne chair, carved from bones of torture victim's past and painted a demonic black, housed her very person, and she, not Lord Voldemort, was leader of all evil. Sure, she had worshipped him like a god, but now that he was gone, she saw the ways in which she could improve his errors, correct his faults. Nothing was going to stop Bellatrix Lestrange, not even Harry Potter, and no stupid prophecy would make her lose her head.

"Stoprario, fetch me my supper" she snapped her fingers at the crouching house elf, who immediately nodded his head.

"Yes, of course mistress, Stoprario will fetch you your supper" he bowed his head all the way out the room. She was alone with her thoughts, her memories, and that made her uneasy. Not all that happened in the past was worth remembering. Her sister's death, for instance. It had been at the hand of a dreadful disease, and Lucifer was suffering terribly. Their son, my nephew, Draco, had a son of his own, but seemed ever more withdrawn since his mother's death. Scorpius, a good strong name, was also at Hogwarts, and Bellatrix couldn't wait to set her eyes upon him.

The meal Stoprario returned with wasn't very appealing, and Bellatrix turned her nose up at it, slapping the tray out of the house elf's hands, who responded with a whimper.

"Out of my sight!" Bellatrix bellowed, not all too quietly either, and the house elf was more than happy to comply. Bellatrix was not happy, and could not wait for the full moon, for that was when they would strike.

**Aurora's POV**

Thunder growled overhead, and Rose and I exchanged glances as we sat huddled in the library, completing our Potions homework. The fire was going, but still it could not keep out the storms that seemed to be never ending at Hogwarts these days.

"What's powdered toadstool used for when it comes to a potion to make the user smell sweet?" I whispered over at Rose. Earlier that day we had attended Remus' meeting, and we were particularly excited for the week to come, and could not get our homework finished quickly enough.

"It stops the potion from turning sour after 15 minutes" was Rose's smart reply, which I hastened to write it down before it escaped the shaky confines of my memory. I found my gaze wandering to the stained glass windows, which could be seen at the end of a corridor of seemingly endless books. It was Rose's heaven, the library, and I too was fond of it. It was cosy, welcoming, and books always had a place for you, even when people didn't. My gaze lost its blur as soon as I realised Scorpius Malfoy had entered the library. Rose, who was flicking through a book as thick as Hagrid's arm, would have failed to notice the boy if it had not been for the elbow that I sent her way.

"Wha-?" she was cut off when she realised where, or more accurately, whom, my attention was directed at. Nerves boiled up in my stomach like warts as Scorpius, and his two thugs, made their way towards the table Rose and I were stationed at. There was only one reason Scorpius could be in the library, and it wasn't to check out a book. I wasn't surprised when a note was dropped inconspicuously onto the book opened in front of me. However, the message caught me off guard.

A,

Meet me at the owlery tonight after dinner. There is some news I need to share with you, and it's important. Despite my dislike for every fibre of your being, forces are at work that must be stopped. Come alone, or don't come at all.

S

I was surprised because I had suspected it to be a note making fun of something or other. I gazed down at the paper, rereading it. Rose grabbed it out of my hand, and surprised flickered across her face as she too read its strange contents. She made a 'come on' motion, and we gathered our books and found an empty corridor, which Hogwarts seemed to be littered with. It was an hour until dinner, and the sun was just beginning to set on the horizon. Birds flew back to their nests, and flowers were starting to fold their petals for the night. A bench, slightly covered in moss, made the perfect place to sit and discuss. We hadn't run into Albus or Remus on the way, so we would have to fill them in later.

"I don't understand" Rose said, dumbfounded for the first time in her life. I nodded, biting my lip, unsure also.

"I think I should go" Rose's gaze snapped up to mine, and the look on her face told me that she thought I was insane.

"Look," I started, before she could convince me otherwise, "if there really are forces at work that must be stopped, then how can I just sit around and ignore that?" I held up a hand as Rose started to argue, and continued on, "...and even if there aren't, what's the worst that could happen? I mean, if he really was planning to humiliate me, he would do it in public, where everyone could see. Plus, the owls are my friends, they'll protect me." I got my love of animals from my mother, even though it was a bit crazy, which Rose evidently thought it was. However, she knew how stubborn I could be, and standing up, she looked me square in the eye as she said:

"Fine, I may not be able to convince you, but let's see what Albus and Remus say, shall we?" she crossed her arms over her chest, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Fine" I said, not taking the threat to heart. I mean, I was right, wasn't I? This was the best thing to do.

**A little while later...**

"Absolutely not!" both Albus and Remus shared Rose's opinion. _Great. _The way I saw it, I wasn't being difficult, but if by meeting with Scorpio, I could ease my mother's burden, then I would do whatever it took to see her smile reach her eyes again. I hated to see my mother worry. Even her letters had been fake and upbeat. Albus seemed to be considering something, while Remus just babbled on about how this was ludicrous and if I wanted to cause myself more humiliation.

"You know, you have been staring at him an awful lot lately, you don't _love _him, do you?" this outraged me. Despite the fact that he was half teasing, there was an undertone of sincerity, and that just made my blood boil like an over cooked potion.

"How dare you! How could you even think such a ridiculous and offensive thing? In case you hadn't realised, I am doing this for you three, and our families. Think, if this can be ended, and everything back to normal, isn't that what you want? But oh nooo, I must looove Scorpius, that must be it! Gah! Boys!" And I stormed off like a child who hadn't gotten the broom they had asked for. They didn't come after me; at least they had enough sense to not do that. The full moon was high in the sky, and casted an eerie glow over the school. I pulled my sweater tighter, and picked up the pace as I made my way to the Dining Hall.

Upon hearing the bubbling voices, I composed myself and found a seat amongst Lilliana and another first year. I locked gazes with Scorpius, and nodded my head fractionally. He nodded back, getting the message. I kept my head down as Remus, Albus and Rose entered and sat as far away from me as possible. _Pff, see if I care_. Although admittedly, I did care, and it did hurt, but I had brought this upon myself by not following their wishes, and I was just going to have to deal with it. James and Aaron looked between us, at my scowl and their obvious anger, and lent over to me.

"Trouble in paradise?" I was about to glare at them, but decided I'd already lost enough friends, so instead I smiled sadly. This seemed to illicit a idea between the two of them, and nodding to each other, James and Aaron went to speak to the three, who stole glances over at me, and at the completion of the story, James and Aaron were staring at me in horror, their mouths making an 'o' shape. Luckily, dinner was finished, and we were free to leave. Scorpius had left a minute earlier, and because I was closest to the entrance, and the five of them were all the way at the other end of the table, I made my way out before any of them could stop me. I didn't stop running until I hit the steps that led to the owl tower. Taking deep, soothing breathes, I started to climb. You could see the whole school from up here, and in the moonlight, it was beautiful. I pushed open the creaky door, half expecting to find a crazed murderer, but only seeing Scorpius, and much to my displeasure, his two thugs standing there. Scorpius, who had been gazing out of the window, turned towards me. I had to hold in a laugh, because it was just so dramatic.

"You came, I'm... glad" he struggled to get the last word out, not wanting to admit he was happy about anything to do with me. He nodded to thug one, who shoved past me and looked outside, checking to make sure there were no tag alongs. He nodded to Scorpius, who smiled.

"What, your friends didn't come along despite my wishes. You know, I couldn't help but notice that you weren't sitting with them at dinner just now. Strange, didn't they agree with your decision to meet me here?" I held his stare, but didn't give him the pleasure of an answer. He seemed to get my point. He motioned to his two thugs to guard the door from the outside.

"Alright, as you've probably noticed, things aren't right at Hogwarts. It's not all rainbows and puppies, and I can tell you why. You see, you must know of my great aunt Bellatrix Lestrange, don't you?" I nodded, fear twisting my gut. He didn't seem surprised.

"Well as you know, she was a devout follower of you-know-who. See the thing is she's back, and rising to power. She's the one behind the attack o your roommate, and I believe she is planning a larger attack this time. Now I don't know when or whe—" His sentence was cut off by the blade that was being held to my throat, and his face was even more pale, if that was even possible. I looked down to see a ring of a serpent adorning the hand of the knife owner, and was not surprised to hear the voice that followed.

"So here I am, out for a little stroll, hoping to run into my Great Nephew, maybe get revenge on a few families, when here I have the ability to do both in one place. Aaagh, not expecting me boy? Well, it's been so long. I see here you have Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood's daughter. You do realise that they were a part of the attack on Voldemort, and by blood, that makes her one of his killers too. Shame I won't be killing you just yet. I mean, we've got to make your pareenty-werentys suffer, don't we?" My blood ran cold as her plan was laid out in my head. She was going to use me to make my parents suffer for killing her Lord.

"Now tell me," She pressed her knife harder on my throat. He breathe stank, and I had to do everything in my power to stop myself from gagging. "Where are your little friendsy-wendsys? I thought they might be around here somewhere. Surely they wouldn't send you here alone? Oh? Looks like they have. Guess we'll have to go find them then, after you." One of her henchmen held open the door, and she pushed me through it, not all too gently.

"Come on Scorpius, you too!" She barked back, causing the boy to jump and pale even more. I felt kind of sorry for him, because it truly seemed as if he didn't know that she would be there. She laughed, her voice so cold, it might as well have been snowing.


	12. Voldemort's What!

**So guys, this is kind of a huge chapter, and you'll never see this coming.**

**Now some bits may seem unrealistic, but we are talking about fiction here, remember?**

**So please enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW. I will appreciated it FOREVER.**

**xx**

**Albus's POV**

I felt kind of bad as I watched Aurora storm off by herself, but it was her own fault. Was she crazy? Or just plain stupid? Remus, Rose and I didn't speak for the rest of the way; we couldn't find any words to say. I didn't like Aurora being mad at us, but what else was there to do? I mean, I didn't want to see her get hurt, which would inevitably happen if she met... _him. _The thought of him alone made my blood boil, and my fists clench. Rose, seeing this, touched my arm in a reassuring way. I just nodded, and took calming breaths. Damn Aurora for being so stubborn.

The dining hall was soon coming into sight; however I didn't really feel like facing the gossip that was sure to come when Aurora didn't sit with us.

"Here goes nothing" and we made our way in. I instantly saw Aurora, as if she was a magnet and my eyes couldn't help but find her. She was sitting nearest to the door, to us, in between Lilliana and Anna? I think that's her name. Anyway, there were no seats near her, so we were forced to make our way up to the other end of the dining table. James and Aaron stared at us, their gazes flicking between us all. They seemed to catch on to what was going, which meant everyone else had. Oh well, I didn't really care what they thought anyway. People were going to judge, that couldn't be changed. Finding some seats, the food looked less appetizing than usual, although thankfully it didn't taste that way. While we picked at our food, we kept an eye on Aurora. James and Aaron had said something to her, and were now making their way over here, _great. _They made room and sat on either side of the three of us. Dinner was nearly finished, so they had better make this quick.

"What's up, it seems that you guys seem to be having a bit of a quarrel eh? Well, my presumption is that it's about something silly, like he said she said. No? Well then pray tell." So we did, we filled them in on everything, and by the end, they looked as horrified as we felt. Realising that people were leaving, we snapped our heads up, and watched as Aurora snuck out the door. We ran after her, but she was quicker, and we couldn't catch her. By the time we had reached the tower, she was already inside, and Scorpius' thugs stood guard. Why couldn't her usual clumsiness have stopped her? We stood guard, wands at the ready, prepared to barge in at a moment's notice.

Some time passed before there was a commotion inside the tower, and both Remus and I went to stand up, to help, but Aaron and James pulled us back down and held their fingers to their lips in a 'sshh' motion and pulled us further back into the bushes. If any teacher caught us, we would be dead meat. In fact, upon racing out here, I had completely forgotten about the killer that was on the loose, and suddenly, it seemed to get a lot colder, and several shades darker. Twigs started snapping, possibly the murderer sneaking up on us, or a night time animal, I thought reasonably. I noticed Rose looked scared out of her wits, and Remus had a soothing arm around her. Suddenly, we heard the door burst open, and we froze like a muggles picture. We could just barely see the steps, and my skin, which had been cold before, was now like ice. Bellatrix Lestrange, the famed follower of Lord Voldemort, had a knife to Aurora's throat and was pushing her down the stairs. I could hear Rose gasp, and because Bellatrix and Aurora were nearly at the bottom of the stairs now, they heard it. Bellatrix whipped her head around, and a sly smile crawled onto her lips.

"Well, it appears your friends didn't leave you alone after all. How cute. Well then, we best not leave them sitting in the cold" she pulled out her wand, a firm hand still on the knife that glinted against Aurora's throat, and I wanted nothing more than to run out there and protect her, but James' restraining hand stopped me from doing any such thing. Unexpectedly, fire sprung from Bellatrix's wand, and engulfed the bush in which we were crouching. If it had not been for a sudden spurt of water that seemed to come from behind us, we would have been burnt alive. Aurora was struggling against Bellatrix's restraint, and cried desperately in the direction of where the fire had been flung. It had burnt a hole in the bush, and we could be plainly seen. So much for cover.

"Not in my school, Bellatrix" Stunned, we looked behind us to see Headmistress McGonagall, Snape, Tonks, Mrs. Granger, and the rest of the teachers standing there, wands at the ready. We stayed put, not wanting to move any further away from Aurora.

"Well well well, if it isn't a little reunion, teachers and students. You know, I really have all of you to thank for my new power, because if you hadn't taken out Voldemort, then I wouldn't have realised my true potential, and never risen to my rightful claim as Death Master." I had to hold back a snort at that. Death Master? Who did she think she was?

"Let the children go, and we will spare your life. If not, then you will be joining your beloved Voldemort in the pits of hell." I'd never seen the Headmistress look so fierce, and it was truly frightening.

"Hmm, let me think about that. If you cast a spell, you risk killing the girl, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to harm your precious Chosen One, now would you?" The Headmistress kept her fierce stare blazing into Bellatrix, but you could see that Bellatrix had struck a nerve. Aurora, upon hearing this, froze, surprised. Bellatrix noticed, and looked between McGonagall and Aurora.

"Well! It appears she doesn't know. Would you like to tell her, or would you allow me? I'd be happy to, but I'm sure you wouldn't want me to spin it and make you look like the bad guys, now would you?" The headmistress seemed to be having an argument in her own head, but defeated, she relented, and we all listened in, carefully.

"You see, 13 years ago, upon the completion of the war, the Deatheaters were more than happy to release certain secrets about their leader. They led us to a seemingly abandoned house, and informed us that inside we would find the heir of all evil. Voldemorts... child. We went in, and discovered a baby, barely a few months old, in a cot in a room with brightly painted walls, baby toys, baby clothes, you name it. Now, we thought, surely this couldn't be His house, it was too... bright, happy. But there on the wall, right above a cot which housed the most beautiful baby girl, was a picture of none other than Lord Voldemort and his daughter, Maiya Merope Mary Riddle. We knew her name because it had been sewn into a blanket that she was lying in. She had the same black mop of hair that he had had, the same dark eyes. The Deatheaters informed us that Lord Voldemort had told only a few of his daughter, and he had hired a woman to take care of her when he wasn't there. The carer was a muggle, and had been scared off a few days before the battle was waged. Little Maiya had shown incredible power for a young witch, perhaps more than Lord Voldemort himself. She could change the weather with a blink of her eye, a feat nearly impossible even with a wand. She conjured flowers out of thin air, she could levitate her cot. She was the first thing that Lord Voldemort even remotely loved, and he went to great lengths to protect her. He placed every protection charm under the moon on her, which soon wore off after his death. A Hogwarts teacher had been kidnapped and forced to look after her, but when we entered the house she was nowhere to be found. With such power in her blood, we knew that it was essential that she turn out good, otherwise we didn't stand a chance. We had found a letter, written to the young girl, from Voldemort, and it was labelled that she read it at least 10 years from now." The Headmistress had tears in her eyes as she continued on, "We didn't know what to do, so we did what we thought was best. We placed her into the care of some of the most warm-hearted and loving Wizard and Witch, for them to raise her in a peaceful and happy environment, where she could be shown love and acceptance. Where she would be free to run around and enjoy her childhood. For risk of her being noticed as who she was, we put a spell on her that made her look like the parents child. Gorgeous long blonde hair, violet eyes. Very few knew of this young girl, and who she truly was. Some had heard rumours, but they couldn't find any fact. I'm so sorry Aurora, but if you haven't figured it out already, it's you." And with that, she flicked her wand, and gone was the platinum blonde hair and violet eyes. In their place was long, silky black hair, and dark, tear ridden eyes. Small sobs were escaping from Aurora's lips, and behind me I could hear Remus comforting Rose, who too was crying. I could do nothing but stare at the girl that I thought I knew. I could no longer feel James's hand, as he too was in shock. Aaron had paled, but didn't look surprised.

"But, but, but... that-t m-meaans, I-I, I'm e-e-e-vil" She just got out the sentence, before another sob escaped her lips. The headmistress shook her head firmly.

"No. Ancestry has nothing to do with how someone will turn out. You are pure good Aurora, pure good." But Aurora didn't believe it; you could see it in her eyes. Bellatrix still had the knife on her throat, but the girl didn't even seem to notice.

"Well, while this is touching and all, we really best be off." Bellatrix took a step forward... and walked right through Aurora. The 'Death Master' yelped, and looked around wildly.

"But how-?" Bellatrix stared in horror as she said the words. Aurora was staring in shock at herself.

"She's more powerful than you know, and it turns out some of those protection spells still exist." McGonagall said dryly. Bellatrix made a grab for Aurora, but again her hand went straight through, as if touching a ghost.

"Come Aurora, come Scorpius" The Headmistress motioned to them both, and Scorpius was more than happy to comply, shoving past Aurora, whose head had snapped up. Bellatrix had made off into the night, along with her Deatheaters, as soon as she realised she was losing this battle.

We came out of the bushes, and her gazed focused on us. She must have read the hurt in our eyes, and she stepped towards us, one hand outstretched. As if not by our own will, we took a step back. Aurora in took a sharp breath, and looked so hurt that I thought she was going to crumble to pieces. Rose was the only one who hadn't stepped back, but stepped forward, despite the threat and Remus's restricting hold on her arm.

"Let go of me" She pulled her arm free, and made her way towards Aurora. Her mother watched on, half fright, half pride in her eyes.

"As far as I see it, she's still Aurora and she's still my best friend." The two girls hugged, as if long lost sisters. Aaron too, went to stand beside them.

"I hate to say it for fear you will no longer like me, but I knew it all along" The two girls moved out of their hug, and stared at Aaron in shock.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's true. When my parents died, Dumbledore found me, and requested that I stay with you, to be a friend to you. To make sure you didn't fall off track. When you were nine, I had to move away, because he felt that you needed independence, to make more friends. Also, I had Hogwarts to attend. I don't ask for forgiveness, for I felt it was the right thing to do, I am simply letting you know." Aurora wiped at her tears, and hugged Aaron. She turned towards the three of us, and we stood frozen there, unsure what to do.

"Albus?" She asked, arms outstretched, but I didn't see my best friend Aurora. I saw the daughter of a man who had killed millions, and I couldn't shake that. I looked over at Remus, who was no longer beside me, but in the darkest corner of the bush. He seemed a bit twitchy, and to be in pain.

"Look, I really don't care who your father was Aurora, and I would come out and hug you but... I can't. Tonight's the full moon, and well, I get a bit funny at the full moon." Remus shifted uncomfortably as he spoke, but not because of the words he was saying. Tonks, who had been watching the exchange, turned her head in alarm and rushed over to her son.

"Did you take the potion Remus? Did you take it?" Remus looked into his mothers desperate eyes, and shook his head sadly. She gasped, and looked around frantically. Aurora rushed over, followed by Rose and Aaron, but I stepped out of her way, like she was a disease I didn't want to catch. She chose to ignore this, and crouched down beside Remus. James was on his other side, and the teachers were crowded around, trying to block out the moon.

"Look, just for the record, I don't care who your father was either. We all have our family demons" As James said this, he looked pointedly at me, but I looked away, not before seeing the small smile of appreciation that came to Aurora-or should I say Maiya's- lips. She turned back to Remus.

"Okay look, Remus, you're going to have to trust me, alright. I have no clue where this idea came from, but I think it will work, alright? I'm going to freeze the werewolf genes inside you, and you're going to run as fast as you can to shelter. Alright?" He looked frightened, but Remus nodded. She turned her attention to us.

"You're going to have to get out of the way when I say now, that's when Remus is going to run. Understood?" She had this newfound confidence, and there was no room to question her. She nodded, as if to herself, and you could see her nerves and a bit of the old Aurora in her expression.

"Okay, here goes nothing" after a few deep breaths she snapped her fingers. Remus flinched, and Aurora screamed "Now!" the teachers moved out of the way, and Remus took off sprinting. Some teachers chased after him, including his mother. Aurora had gone deathly pale, as if the light had been drained out of her. _Well, _I thought to myself, _that tends to happen when you're the heir of all evil. _I knew I was being unrealistic, unfair. She was still the same Aurora, just with different parents. Still, I couldn't look at her the same way and I averted her stare, once so familiar, now not. She seemed to get the message, and I hated the hurt look that came over her face. She shoved past me, and I let her go. She stormed off, no-one trying to stop her. I came out of the bush, and Rose was standing there, anger plain on her face. She had her arms crossed and she was pursing her lips.

"How could you! It's still Aurora! Why do you have to be so uptight? Is she, or is she not, your best friend? How can that change in an hour? She's still herself, and she's going to need all the friends that she can get now that Bellatrix is out and about and looking to kidnap her. I swear, Albus Severus Potter, if you do not go looking for her and apologise, I will do unimaginable things to cause you great pain and discomfort, do you understand?" Realising there was no way out of this, I nodded. She pulled something from a bag that I hadn't realised she was carrying. It was the Marauders' map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" her eyes searched the map, and stopped having found what she was looking for. "She's in the bell tower, now go, and don't think you can trick me, I'll be watching." And with that and a shove in the right direction, I found myself following the path that led to my destination, thinking about what I would say. Things are about to change at Hogwarts, I thought, as I looked up at the rumbling night sky which promised the threat of a storm, it had already begun.

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	13. Up In The Bell Tower

**Sorry it has been so long, but I've had exams, etc.**

**However, despite this, I have been working on the story, and you may be pleased to know that I have written up to 27, 000 words!**

**Roses are red,**

**Violets are blue,**

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**xx**

**Aurora's POV**

I hugged my knees tighter to my chest as the wind whipped my strange black hair. I was up in the bell tower, and I was watching the storm form over the school. Things were changing, it was evident. I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight; the tears running down my cheeks were evidence of that. Not only had I found out that my parents weren't really my parents, but instead the Dark Lord, who had killed countless of muggles and wizards alike, was my very own dad. To add to the hurt and pain of finding all that out, and losing my platinum blond hair, now my best friend hates me, and refuses to meet my stare. It was hard to choose which one was worse. I certainly didn't feel like the strongest witch of all time as I sat there, weeping like a child over lost friends and an unknown family. My whole life had been one great big lie. Lies, lies, lies. Everything. My name, my hair, my heritage. Lies.

My breath caught in my throat as I head the door scrape against the floor, but I relaxed slightly when I saw it was Albus. What, has he come to push me off the bell tower? I thought it jokingly, but who knows. My... father, had, after all, killed most of Albus's relatives, including his father (not that he had stayed dead for long, thank god)

"Hey" He shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"Why are you here?" My voice was hoarse from crying, and it seemed to make him more uncomfortable.

"Do you want to push me out of the bell tower for something that I have no say in whatsoever? I won't stop you," I muttered darkly. He looked shocked, but I didn't regret what I had said.

"Why would I want to do that? It would surely land me in Azkaban" _Oh_, I thought drily, _why didn't I think of that? Silly me. _I jumped down from the ledge and faced him, looking him square in the eye.

"Well, what do you want then?" my voice was hard and cold, and I hated it.

**Snape's POV**

"He doesn't realise" Snape was down in the dungeons, in his office, and Headmistress McGonagall was with him. She nodded sadly, understanding what he meant. Still, Snape needed to say the words out loud.

"He doesn't realise that, if not for Maiya, he would be dead. He would never even have been born." Minerva McGonagall nodded, sadness etched in her face. She had aged rapidly since the battle had ended, and the cracks were beginning to show.

"You know, when Dumbledore first told me that the real reason Voldemort didn't kill Harry was because all he could see were Maiya's eyes, I was shocked. Heavens, I was shocked when I found out that Voldemort even had a child! Then, when the Deatheaters told us of the child, the baby. How she was still young, despite the fact that she should have been Harry's age. I still cannot believe that he put a charm on her to stop her from aging, and that he wouldn't have taken it off until he had complete rule of the whole world. Crazy, isn't it?" She mumbled. Voldemort had explained to Snape his plans, for he believed him to be a trustworthy apprentice. How wrong he had been. It made Snape angry, the way that Albus judged Maiya Riddle on her past. You can't control who your family is, or was, and anyway, technically Albus came from the Black family, renowned for their devilish ways. Still, the boy chose to not accept Maiya, despite the good in her heart.

**Maiya/Aurora's POV**

We stood there facing each other, neither sure what to say or do. My best friend had turned against me, or so I thought. Albus's face relaxed and he took a step forward, as if he had made a decision.

"Look, you're going to need all the friends you can get, and I'll be there, standing by your side. It'll take a while to get used to, what with the hair and everything, but I'm not about to abandon my best friend." He looked resolute, and I could do nothing but hug him. He seemed surprised, but he returned the hug.

"Come on, you best be off to bed, I feel that we have a long day ahead of us" I nodded, happy to comply. Suddenly sleep seemed very welcoming.

**Rose's POV**

"Yes!" I exclaimed, happy to see that Albus and Aurora were walking together in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room, where Remus and I were stationed. Remus was watching over my shoulder, and he smiled too. We had the curtains drawn, so no moonlight could be seen, and no werewolves could roam about. The fire was smouldering, but still emanated warmth.

"I knew they would work it out. Do you see the way they look at each other?" I sighed, happiness once again present. Remus looked startled.

"What, Albus and Aurora? Really? I mean, I guess I noticed… anyway, how do you know that they're walking together and he's not just carrying a dead body back?" he teased, but my heart beat started racing. What if? I shoved the map off my lap and was at the common room door just as the two entered. Remus came up behind me, laughing.

"You do realise that if she really was dead, she wouldn't have shown up on the map" I glared at him, my face turning red. I hated being wrong, or mislead. I focused my attention back on my two friends. Hugging them both, I made a 'come in' gesture, and they were more than happy to comply. Their clothes were soaked from the rain that had begun to pour soon after I sent Albus on his way.

"Really you two, you're absolutely drenched! You don't want to have caught colds, because half term is only three weeks away." We moved in front of the fire, the two of them shivering, although Albus's was less noticeable, but no doubt he was just as cold, he was probably just trying to hide it. _Boys. _

"Half term?" Aurora paled, even more so. I had almost forgotten the events of tonight, although truthfully I was kidding myself if I believed that. I was a best friend to Voldemort's daughter, who would have thought. I now came to realise that for Aurora, half term wouldn't bring the joy of seeing her parents, but the abrupt awakening that they weren't truly hers. I felt pity for her, as it must have been terrible. I know I would have felt absolutely awful if I had found out not only was my life a lie, but millions of people had a strong hate for my murderous father.

"Will you go to stay with them?" I asked carefully, not wanting to seem rude or unthoughtful. Aurora shrugged her shoulders, and by doing so, the blanket that I had put around her slipped, before I could react, Albus fixed it. Remus and I shared a look that said a thousand words.

"I'm not sure. I mean, I feel like they betrayed me, lied to me, my whole entire life. However, at the same time, they protected me, and loved me like their own daughter. I really don't know what to do" she had her head in her hands, and her shoulders were hunched forward like that of a person defeated.

"I think it best that you be off to bed, and we discuss this in the morning. Come on, up you get" Remus and I managed to get them both up to bed, safely and carefully. We wished each other goodnight, and turned off the lights. The chances of sleep were small, as the future of both Aurora and Hogwarts was a mystery, one that would take a while to solve.


	14. Things That Go Bump In The Night

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The next couple of days were a blur. The teachers once again disguised Maiya Riddle, so as not to cause fright and discord. The students were blissfully unaware of their dangerous visitor, but still on the lookout for any lurking killers who may be wandering the halls. They studied and sat their O. , which many of them were delighted by, and looked forward to the holiday ahead. Only one student dreaded said event. Maiya spent her evenings hidden away at the top of the bell tower, where she liked to sit and ponder what her life meant, what it was to be. If Bellatrix was after her, what could she do? She knew she wasn't going to sit around like a helpless maiden, that was certain. She would sit there, scribbling, until one of her three best friends came and found her, and coaxed her to come down and eat. The smile was gone from her lips, at least a truthful one. An imposter now stood in its place. Her eyes were weary, alert, scared, although she hid it well. The one thing greater than fear of others is the fear of one's self, Maiya had come to realise. She doubted the good in herself, and by doing so, cut herself off from the outside world.

"Auror-aaaaaaa" She was jolted out of her daydream by a name that was once familiar. Denise Williams was standing there, poking her.

"What Denise?" Maiya snapped, not out of nastiness, but out of frustration. Seconds ago it had seemed like she was remembering something. Denise put her hands up in defence.

"Chill your grill, I was just going to ask if you wanted to sneak out with us" They were situated in a deserted courtyard, for it was growing dark and nowadays not many ventured outside when the sun wasn't shining. Apparently though, this didn't deter Denise, who was strong-willed, perhaps too strong-willed for her own good. Her co-conspirators didn't look as fearless though, and cowered together. Maiya had very much become a girl of the night, and loved the glistening moonlight.

"I don't know Denise..." Maiya started, but was duly interrupted.

"Come on! You're one of the best witches here, we need you on our side if we are to succeed" Her voice was defiant, but as the moon ducked behind the clouds, Denise pulled her jumper tighter, and glanced about. Maiya just smiled, embracing the night that surrounded them both, and hugged them like a blanket. The night was reliable, always there, always guaranteed to show up. Maiya liked that about it.

"And why, exactly, are you so determined to leave? Especially considering that a murderer's on the loose" This not so gentle reminder caused the already scared group to flee, and Denise, who was growing more frightened by the second, to gulp rather loudly, and take a step closer to Maiya, to what she supposed was safety.

"Well, um, it's, um, did something move? Oh wait, it's just a field mouse, um, I, was just hoping-to-see-Hogsmeade" the ending came out a rush, and it looked like she too wanted to flee. Maiya decided to put the poor girl out of her misery. It was Friday after all, and Maiya had been cooped up in her own company for so long.

"As long as I can bring my friends" Denise nodded, "Okay then, meet me tomorrow, mid-day, underneath the bell tower. Bring your wands." Denise hastily nodded, and fled as well. Sighing, Maiya sat back, taking in her surroundings. She was seated on some stone rubble, probably from The War. It wouldn't be difficult to sneak out, but deep down Maiya knew that it was wrong for her to agree. It would be dangerous for the others, and possibly life-threatening, depending on their company. They thought Maiya would save them, protect them, but she would probably be the one to bring them trouble, although not intentionally, of course. A fluttering paper landed in Maiya's lap, and upon opening it, she realised it was from the Headmistress. Surely she couldn't know about the plan already.

A,

I know you are not sleeping, so please come to my office immediately; I have something I would like to share with you.

H.M,

Maiya knew that she didn't have a choice in the matter, so grumbling, she hoisted herself up and made her way sluggishly to the Headmistress' office. A word had been encoded into the paper, and could just be made out in the moonlight.

"Cheerios" Maiya's voice rang out, and the gargoyle that had been previously there was now a staircase.

"Neat" Maiya made her way up, running her hand along the rough stonewall. A door loomed ahead of her, and she could just make out the hushed voices on the other side.

"I don't think she'll want to stay with them"

"She must be kept safe!"

"If she's turned evil, who knows what could happen!"

"She has a right to decide for herself, don't you agree?"

Maiya was tired of listening, and knocked loudly on the door. The voices stopped immediately, and a shame faced Madam Hooch opened the old wooden door. She made her way past me, with a pat on the shoulder and a sad smile, and was followed by all the other teachers that had been occupying the room. Only Snape and Headmistress McGonagall remained.

"Please shut the door," The Headmistress asked sadly, but forcefully, and Maiya did as she was told. It was her first time in this office, but she had read so much about it. The room was large and circular, with lots of windows and portraits of previous Headmasters. Maiya couldn't help but look for Professor Dumbledore's. Due to the fact that she couldn't see him, and one portrait was empty, it appeared he was not in. Maiya noticed the Sorting Hat perched high on a shelf, and smiled to herself. It was exactly as described. There were books and all sorts of gadgets floating about. The office seemed to be alive, awake, and that intrigued Maiya. She turned her attention back to the Headmistress and Professor Snape.

"It wouldn't surprise me if you heard all that, am I correct?" The Headmistress made a vague gesture, and Maiya nodded slightly. Sighing, the Headmistress lowered herself into her chair, which stood behind a large oak desk.

"Well," She started, "It appears we are having a slight disagreement over what will be happening in regards to you when it comes to the half-year break. We are afraid for your safety, as no doubt word has gotten out about your existence, and that puts you at great risk. We are not sure if it is safe for you to go back to Luna and Neville, or even if you would want to go back. I personally think it would be best. Yes, here's what shall happen. I am sorry if this may seem rude, my directing you, but please hear me out." The Headmistress looked tired and worn, and as if she had had one too many sleepless nights.

"You shall spend it with Neville and Luna, but we will put some of the top Aurors to protect you, including Harry Potter. This will also mean that Albus will be there. Professor Granger will also be accompanying you, and that means that Rose will be also. No doubt Mr. Weasly will want to go, as it will be a sort of 'reunion' in his eyes, even though they see each other so often. Hugo will most likely stay with his Grandparents. No doubt, if all his friends are going, Remus will wish to come too, therefore so will Nymphadora. It sure will be packed, that's for certain. However, I do see it necessary, after all, dark powers will be trying to break the bonds that tie, and you will need all the friends you can get. Oh, and Maiya, do hurry off to bed, and try not to spend any more time in the dark by yourself, for Bellatrix isn't the only one you should be worried about. There are more things that go bump in the night at Hogwarts than you know." With that final note, I headed off in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

The halls were cool, and I pulled my jumper tighter, only now noticing the eerie silence that enveloped the great halls. Neither Rose, Remus or Albus had come to find me that night, and I had a strange sense of someone watching me, even though I felt rather assured that I was alone. All the students were supposed to be in bed by now, tucked away nice and safe. However, no matter how fast I walked, or how many sharp turns I took, there always seemed to be constant, glowing eyes following my every step. I let out a breath at the sight of the Fat Lady, but not a second later I was winded. The portrait stood open, and I couldn't hear the soothing snores that usually came from the large woman at this time of night. It appeared as if she had fled, which could only mean one thing. There was going to be another murder in the Gryffindor common rooms tonight.


	15. A Trip To Hogsmeade

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Despite my silent pleas, I was right. Sigornous Wolver, a rather pretentious boy, who did well in his studies, as if to prove he was more than a mere 'muggle born' was found laying frozen in fright. I had signalled the alarm and all too soon someone was at my side, experiencing the same horror as I. I was to be taken into questioning by the headmistress tomorrow morning, but for now, I would be getting some sleep. I felt as if the ground had been knocked out from under me. While I was still in my first year, I felt as if I had aged several. I no longer felt like a shy 12 year old, oblivious to such obvious danger and perhaps with the fake cover, the fake me, it had all disappeared. I felt like Maiya Riddle, a fifteen year old girl trapped in a 12 year olds body. Odd. I wasn't really a friend of Sigornous Wolver, for he was in his second year and didn't dwell much in peoples company, especially those who he considered to be below him. He was rather arrogant and did not have many peers. Having said this though, he wasn't particularly hated. People tolerated him; some even respected his determination in his academic adventures.

Upon entering my first year at Hogwarts, not once did I predict that I would be surrounded by killings and taught of my true heritage. Not once did I think that I, Aurora Xenophilius Lovegood (nice middle name, I know. In case you weren't familiar it was my so-called grandfather's name) It appeared my life had taken an unexpected turn, one that even the most reliable soothsayer couldn't predict.

It was funny to think of my naivety at the start of the school year, how I stood (and occasionally still do) in wonder at the beauty of things. Now I mostly see the danger, sense the evil, and it seems to have stripped me of my once ever-present smile. I realised, with a start that I had to fight back. A change in parents shouldn't change me, my perception of the world. I couldn't lose myself, not now, not when Bellatrix is at large and becoming in charge. As I lay in my bed, I felt paper rustle beneath my pillow. Someone had placed an envelope there, I discovered, after I had reached under to feel the course yet smooth yellowed pages. I realised it was addressed to me from... Him. My father. I still struggled with the word, but upon a second's hesitation, I ripped open the letter that hopefully contained some answers to the madness. I regretted it almost instantly. What if it confirmed my deepest fears? What if I was destined for nothing but evil? I shook my head in the dark. I didn't want my life to become clouded with what if's so I forced myself to read, having lit the tip of my torch with a whispered 'lumos'. The writing was neat, as if it had been written with a wand not a quill. It read.

Dear Maiya,

If you are reading this, I am probably gone. However to be reading this, you must at least know about me. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that you have been lied to by the Hogwarts faculty, or even the Ministry. Never mind that now, I just want you to know, in all greater sense of the word, I love you. I know it is impossible for me to feel such an emotion, but ever since the day you looked up at me with those dark, soulful eyes, I knew there was nothing that mattered more. This is why I was forced to cast such a spell, a spell that stopped you from ageing, from growing. I knew that I didn't want you entering a less than perfect world. I have instructed your mother that, if I am to perish, you, my beloved daughter, shall be the one to carry out my life's mission. I do hope that she is still around, because the thought of you being an orphan, like I was, tears me to the heart. Please, rid the world of its garbage, make it truly mudblood free, and then I shall be proud of you, no matter what. Do it for your father, for me. I want nothing more than your happiness and for you to live, trouble free, for the rest of your precious life. I am saddened that I cannot be there to see it, but know, I will always be watching over you.

With love,

Your father,

Tom Riddle

Surely the man who had killed so remorselessly had not written this letter. It was too... heartfelt for it to be real. Yet, there was his signature, his reassurance, his truth. I stashed the letter away, after having read it for a fifth time. Carry out his deed? What, does he expect me to kill just for the sake of it? I may be his daughter, but I could never do such a thing. I wouldn't, and I wouldn't let Bellatrix either. With this thought firm and unwavering in my mind, I lay down to sleep. However, that night, like many, was spent staring up at a black, blank ceiling.

The next morning was spent in the Headmistress's office. I was questioned on how I came about the murder, and it was even hinted at by certain officials in the know that _I _might have been the one to do it. Thankfully the headmistress put this preposterous thought to the grave and I continued on with my classes. Ironically, Denise and the others pulled out of the attempt to go to Hogsmeade as soon as they heard of the murder, so once again, I was left at a crossroads. Either go by myself, or find a quiet place where I can become lost in my thoughts. I opted for the second option, due to the fact that I wasn't in the mood to play with fire, or was I... I found myself beside the lake, not there to swim, for the waters were far too dangerous, but to experiment. I pulled out my wand-phoenix core- and pointed it directed at a nearby flower. I stumbled back as it burst into flames and quickly extinguished it. I hadn't meant for it to die, but to grow larger, perhaps into a bush. However, I watched in amazement as five new flowers bloomed in its place. Perhaps for one to grow, one must first be reborn, just like a phoenix. Aah, who am I kidding? Trying to be all deep and soulful. I mourned for Aurora, for losing her, because it seemed no matter how hard I tried, she wasn't coming back. She'd gone up in flames, and Maiya had taken her place.

"Mayia!" Even my friends had fallen into the habit of calling me by my real name, so long as there was nobody around, and sometimes when they weren't careful, even if there was, which earned them strange looks and forced a stuttered explanation.

"Yes Rose" She was red in the face, and clearly out of breath. Holding up her hand in the universal 'give me a second' gesture, I waited patiently as she regained her composure, sure that if I started laughing I wouldn't be able to stop. What a sight she was! So different from the girl I saw on the very first day of school. Her uniform was a mess! Her top button undone, her shirt untucked, her buckle on one shoe done up and on the other not. She had odd socks and her hair was tied up in a quick messy bun, and didn't have the precision of a girl who once spent hours- not out of vanity, but out of determination- to have everything perfect. She was so very much like her mother, those first few weeks, even months, of school, but as time has gone, she has become her own person. Finally able to get out a proper sentence, Rose faced me once again.

"It's Denise, she's missing, and no-one knows where she is, obviously" I had a hunch, so I sprinted off past her, in the direction from which she had come, barely aware of the footsteps that followed me. It was a long walk to the lake from the castle, but it was shortened profusely by my sprint. I reached the edge of a mob of students who were crowded nervously around Headmistress McGonagall, waiting for further instructions. I pushed through, using my elbows, and eventually I reached the front of the pack.

"She's in Hogsmeade" Silence smothered the group like an invisibility cloak. The Headmistress looked stricken.

"But why? Did I not make the rules clear?" A student stepped forward, one of the people who were part of Denise's scheme, Shaun's his name if I do recall correctly.

"We had been planning it miss, but after the killings, we decided to call it off. Denise never mentioned going to the village after that. She was as frightened as the rest of us. I can't understand why she would go back alone" His face was pale, waiting for his punishment that was sure to come.

"I can't understand why you would plan on going at all! Did I not make it very clear that Hogsmeade was off limits? Well?" Shaun cowered, and I would have too, because if looks could kill Shaun would be in ashes right now. I wasn't listening to the commotion, to the discussion, or the plans to send a party to go find her. All I could think about was what Shaun had said. He was right; Denis was far too frightened to venture into the Village alone.

"The Imperius Curse" At first it was a murmur, barely loud enough for my own ears, but realising I was right, I turned to the Headmistress once again.

"The Imperius Curse" I said louder, and now everyone turned to look.

"What about it, Miss. Lovegood" Snape's eyes were dark, unforgiving, although what I had done wrong exactly I was uncertain.

"Shaun's right, Denise was far too frightened to go into the village on her own, which means there are only two ways she could have gone. Either she went with a friend, although presuming that no one else has been reported missing, I don't think that's it. The second option is that she was put under the Imperius Curse." You could see that Headmistress McGonagall realised that I spoke the truth, and her face turned as pale as Headless Nick's.

"Snape, gather a team of professors, M-Aurora, you'll go with them, help them find Denise. Quickly, I fear our time is short, and running out by the second." She nearly slipped up, but regained herself quickly. No one else took notice, too consumed with his or her mission.

"Come, Miss Lovegood, if you're so certain of such things, finding her should be no problem." Professor Snape set off at a quick pace, startling me, and I had to jog to catch up.

"Wait!" My three best friends caught up to us also.

"What, Mr Potter" Snape glowered at Albus, who didn't back down.

"We're coming Professor" Not in the mood to argue, and with bigger things to worry about, Snape didn't send them back, instead he just sent us looks as greasy as his hair as we exchanged triumphant smiles.

Once the Professors were gathered and debriefed, it was time to set out on our potentially dangerous adventure. It wasn't a particularly long walk to Hogsmeade, but with danger looming on the horizon, and a student's life at stake, it seemed to take hours. When the first row of shops came into our view, my heartbeat sped up. The few people that were out and about were dark, hooded figures, whose faces were cloaked or directed towards the ground, making recognition impossible. There was about ten of us in our group, and we had decided on the way to break into pairs once we arrived, so as to speed up the search process. Albus and I were together, and Rose and Remus, although we had secretly planned to meet up, so as to be more protected.

Uncertainty boiled in me like an over brewed cauldron, and small snowflakes clung to my already cold nose. I felt eyes watching me, and I couldn't help but sneak glances at others faces. I didn't recognise most of them. We didn't dare call out Denise's name, for fear that it would draw unwanted attention. It was a shame that we hadn't been able to make any trips into Hogsmeade this year, for the storefronts certainly did look rather wonderful. Lolly shops, café's, The Three Broomsticks, all emanated warmth and drew you in like a child on Christmas eve.

I caught myself gazing for too long at a storefront that housed several intricate pieces of jewellery. One especially caught my eye. It was Voldemort's dark mark, which had been banished from the wizarding world so long ago. I had failed to notice the glowing eyes watching me from inside the store. An old, ragged woman, who wore a purple cloak and donned crooked teeth, eyed my every movement, without my prior knowledge.

"Aurora, look! There's Rose and Remus, come on" Albus dragged me away from the store by my elbow. Rose, catching sight of us, with Remus on her heels, met us half way.

"This place is giving me the creeps, I swear, you'd think it was the dark days again" We huddled together, partly because of the warmth, partly because of the fear.

"I know, my parents always spoke of Hogsmeade as such a… happy place. I don't understand" Albus was carefully avoiding eye contact, as were Rose and Remus. However, I couldn't help but be attracted to the scarred faces hidden beneath the masks.

"We have to get out of here" It came out as a whisper, barely audible, but the others heard it. I turned back to them, barely able to make out their faces in the darkness, even though it was in the middle of the day. Storm clouds hovered overhead, threatening and ominous, and it seemed that they had come abruptly, and from nowhere.

"What, why? What about Denise?" The others looked at me with justified concern, but I couldn't shake the feeling that swelled up deep inside.

"We won't find Denise here. You don't understand, I saw the dark mark in that window over there." I turned my head in the direction of the storefront, and became acutely aware that we were surrounded by cloaked figures.

"This can't be good" We turned, back to back, and brandished our wands.

"_Put those away, silly children, for they won't do any good_" A cold, leering voice cackled from seemingly nowhere, but definitely belonged to one of the cloaked figures.

"Expelliarmus!" Albus' voice bounced off the hooded figures, which blocked his attempt to disarm at least one of them. This was a sign to the rest of us, and Rose and Remus set off spell after spell after spell, achieving nothing. I, however, was paralysed, unable to make a sound.

"Aurora! Help!" I wanted to, so bad, but I couldn't.

"_Do you really expect her to help you? You filthy blood traitors? Ugh, the Weasly's? You would all be rotting in your graves if it had of been up to me. Disgusting."_ One figure stepped forward. "_Maiya Riddle is one of us, and will serve to be our leader, just as the Dark Lord intended for her to be" _At the mention of my father, it was like a spell had been broken, and I could escape my trance.

"The hell I will" Now it was my turn to set spell after spell flying, and this time, they had an impact. The hooded figures slowly left, until only one was standing.

"_You'll see the light, you have no chose Maiya. Oh, and your little friend? Well, the dementors sure enjoyed the feast ahahahahaha" _And they too, left.

Collapsing to the snow, my legs too weak to keep me standing, I saw the teachers, who must have been blocked by some sort of force field, come running towards us. One carried a body in their arms.

"We found her, but it was too late." Those were the words that met us in the dark. Denise's lifeless eyes stared blankly into the night, frozen in time, and what had just happened began to dawn on me. I became aware of people calling my name as I fell into the darkness that raced to consume me. The last thing I saw was Snape's eyes, filled with fright, staring down at me.


	16. Gone With The Night

**Kind of an intense chapter, I'll be honest**

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I was falling, and unable to grab onto anything. Darkness was all that awaited me.

"Maiya!" Voices, so far away, so very far away. I saw my friends being attacked by Deatheaters, while my father just watched on, laughing. I was powerless. I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but watch in horror as they fell, _thud, thud, thud, _to the ground.

"NO!" Now I was struggling, while someone was trying to comfort me. How could they comfort me while my friends were lying cold and pale on the ground, their eyes frozen open in terror? I was angry, I was furious, and I turned on my father, with such hate in my heart that I dared not admit just how much there was, and flung a spell at him, making him pay for hurting me like this, for murdering my friends. Now it was his _thud _that echoed in my ears.

**Rose's POV**

Maiya was struggling, fighting, screaming, shrieking, and the sound scared me like I've never been scared before. Lit felt like we were surrounded by a thousand Deatheaters without a single form of defence.

"Somebody do something" Now there were tears as I watched my best friend twist in pain, her face contorted with anger and misery.

"DO SOMETHING!" It was now me who was shrieking, tired, frightened and overwhelmed. Remus, who had been standing silently, a ghostly white, turned to me and took me in his arms, stroking my hair.

"Sshh Rose, it's alright, she'll be alright, it's just a bad dream" But it was more than that, both he and I could see it. The pain on her face wasn't that of fairy tales, but of someone in true, heart shattering pain. Albus could see it too, and he gripped Maiya's hand as best he could, and talked to her soothing, pleading, yelling, but nothing worked, nothing woke her.

"Madam Pomfrey, is there nothing you can do?" This was Snape; hovering anxiously, worry creasing his aging face.

"If I could, don't you think I would have done it," She snapped back at him, wiping her forehead and going to get more damp towels, hoping to reduce Maiya's fever.

"Oh please, she's just being over dramatic. Stupid witch" This came from Shauna, a snobby and terribly rude Slytherin, who had been in the hospital wing due to 'tummy upsets'. If it hadn't been for what happened a moment later, I'm certain Albus would have tackled her.

"NO!" Maiya sat up, screaming, and in the next second Shauna was lying across the hospital wing, her eyes frozen wide.

"No" this was more a whimper, as Maiya regained consciousness. She was the first to reach the girl, and cradling Shauna in her arms, Maiya rocked back and forward, tears running down her face.

"No, no, no, no, no, no" pleading and sobbing, Maiya sat there, rocking. None of us could move, could breath. Headmistress McGonagall was the first, and she was on her knees next to both Maiya and Shauna, taking Maiya's head in her shoulder, embracing her as Maiya cried, heart-wrenching cries.

"Madam Pomfrey, clear the—" Snape paused for a moment, his eyes closing in disbelief, "—the body away" Madam Pomfrey did as she was instructed, and the lifeless Shauna was gone. Remus, Albus and I were frozen, unable to move, unable to do anything but stare at where Shauna had been seconds ago, and where Maiya now curled over, gripping at her sides.

"What have I done, what have I done?" Maiya repeated these words, until, stirred by an unseen force, Remus, Albus and I broke free of our trance and ran over to kneel beside her, hugging her as she cried.

"No, I might kill you too. No please, no, I don't want to kill you"

"Ssshh, sshh, it'll be okay, sshh" and so we sat, in disbelief at what had transpired.

"I didn't mean to kill her, I didn't want to. No" Maiya sobbed endlessly until she was all out of tears. This was worse. Now she was silent, the life taken out of her as well. She sat there, her hands curled around her legs, gripping them so tightly it left marks.

"Come, Maiya, you need sleep, sleep away from here. We will deal with this in the morning." Headmistress McGonagall nodded at us, and taking that as a cue, we hoisted up Maiya, and dragged her gently back to the Gryffindor common room.

"What have I done Rose? I killed her. I killed an innocent person." She whispered to me as I tucked her in.

"It wasn't you Maiya, don't do this, don't blame yourself."

"But how can I not. I would have blamed myself even if I had have been on the other side of the world. But I wasn't, and now she's dead. I killed her."

"No, this is crazy talk, don't, you're scaring me" She just smiled up at me sadly, pity, despair, every emotion under the turret flickered across her face.

"I wonder what the food is like in Azkaban" and she drifted off to a presumably not so peaceful sleep.


End file.
